Des Moines Yacht Club is grieving the loss of their longtime club steward, Margaret Moreau, who passed away in February. She was just a couple months shy of her 95th birthday.
“She was a really special lady that was admired by all,” shared Troy Childs, a longtime member of the club. “I have so many memories of her chasing us kids around at the club back in the day. She was always trying to keep us out of trouble!” Moreau was the club steward for over 40 years and DMYC was her extended family.
She was born Electa Margaret Petrie on April 16, 1925, in Willowbrook, California. She married Everett Moreau on January 24, 1947, and they had three children together; Laura, Larry and Lynn. Margaret joined the Army Nurse Corp during World War II, and continued her work in nursing throughout her entire career.
Margaret and Everett Moreau joined DMYC in 1974 and were active boaters and caretakers. Every year, they would head out on their 25-foot Bayliner Nisqually, often with their grandkids on board. They cruised all over the Puget Sound region, frequently meeting up with other DMYC members. A favorite destination was Desolation Sound.
“She had a memory like a computer, and after a while, we all just quit fact checking her because she was always right,” shared a longtime club member, who appreciated that all her records were handwritten in her notebooks. “We were all so spoiled.” Margaret handled most administrative functions for DMYC, including the creation of seating charts at DMYC functions. “She knew who wanted to be seated together and who should be seated apart!”
The Des Moines Yacht Club misses Margaret’s presence tremendously, and has a respect and appreciation for what Margaret did to take care of the club and foster community with all club members.
