Margaret L. Anderson

Margaret L. Anderson, 75, of Mason City, passed away on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. Born on August 22, 1950, in Mason City, Iowa, to Harold and Marie (Gagnon) Ziegler, Margaret grew up attending Holy Family Catholic School and graduated from Newman Catholic High School in 1968. She developed a lifelong passion for music, beginning with the piano in high school and advancing to become the organist for Holy Family Catholic Church.

After high school, Margaret attended NIACC and worked at Damon’s department store, where she first caught the eye of her future husband, Carl Anderson. Their meeting was love at first sight for Carl, and they married on December 30, 1971, at Holy Family Catholic Church. The couple spent 54 devoted years together. They lived in Ames while Carl attended Iowa State University, during which Margaret earned her associate’s degree from DMACC and worked as a key punch operator at the university. They later returned to Mason City, where they owned and operated Mechanical Air Systems Company. Together they raised two children, Sarah and Tyson, building a home grounded in faith, love, and family values.

Margaret’s greatest joy was her family. She was deeply involved in her children’s education and faith formation and cherished her role as grandmother to Noah, Jonah, and Isaiah Carson, and Elijah, Willow, and Mason Anderson. Her grandchildren were the light of her life, and she rarely missed an opportunity to support and celebrate them. She found simple pleasures in coffee visits with friends, watching Hallmark movies, HGTV, cooking shows, and the Olympics—especially ice skating, a sport she had enjoyed in her youth. She loved shopping trips with her daughter and, most of all, traveling with Carl to destinations featuring the turquoise waters they both treasured.

Margaret will be remembered for her warm smile, gentle sense of humor, genuine compassion, and unwavering generosity. A faithful parishioner of Holy Family Catholic Church for decades, she lived her faith through kindness and care for others. She is survived by her devoted husband Carl, her daughter Sarah (Jonathan) Carson, her son Tyson (Kelly) Anderson, her seven grandchildren, her siblings Terry (Lynette) Ziegler, Nancy (Tom) Hurd, and Tom (Pam) Ziegler, her sisters-in-law, a special niece Emily Curry, and many other loving nieces, nephews, and dear friends.