Margo Denise Tesch

Murphysboro - Margo Denise Tesch, 57, passed away at 8:56 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013 at home with her husband, daughter, and friends by her side. Margo was born on April 6, 1956 in New Orleans, LA, to Ray and Coletta (Griffin) Tesch and spent her growing-up years in Nashville, TN. She earned her Bachelor's degree at Middle Tennessee State and went on to a MSW at the Univ. of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Margo was a passionate worker for social justice and community relationships. She was Executive Director of the Association of Retarded Citizens in Chapel Hill for six years and then was a school social worker in Chapel Hill for another five years. After coming to Murphysboro, in 1999, she was employed by Tri-County Special Education District as the school social worker at DeSoto Grade School in DeSoto. There she spent almost 15 years advocating for the children of that school and community. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Carbondale and served many years as Deacon and Elder. Margo helped organize and participated in many, many cancer survivor events. She married James E. Calloway on February 9, 1997 in Pittsboro, NC and the two of them spent two years living on the island of Roatan in Honduras. Their daughter, Carly Bell Calloway, was born in La Cieba, Honduras on January 27, 1998. She is survived by her husband and daughter of Murphysboro; her sister and husband, Darla and Rodney Moran of Nashville, TN; her mother of Nashville; step-sons Dr. Nathan Calloway and wife Mary Owen of Chapel Hill, NC, and Jay Calloway of Thomas, WV; and a grandson Wilson Calloway of Chapel Hill, NC. She was preceded in death by her father, Ray Tesch of Nashville, TN. Margo spent the last three and a half years battling breast cancer, but never once let that struggle get in the way of the energy she put into influencing the lives of so many people in her church, school, and community. She is loved and will be missed. A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, at 2:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Carbondale, with a fellowship time immediately following the service. Memorials may be made to the Jackson County Relay for Life, and will be accepted by the funeral home.



Service:



2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 7, 2013



First Presbyterian Church Carbondale, Illinois