Gail Margaret Lozar-McDonald

Sidney - (Gail) Margaret Lozar-McDonald of Sidney, Illinois, passed away on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at 6:12 pm at OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center.

(Gail) Margaret Lozar-McDonald was born on November 15, 1951, to the late Hugh J. McDonald and Margaret Taylor McDonald of Skokie, IL.

She is survived by her husband of 39 years, Robert C. Lozar-McDonald, son: Robert A. Lozar-McDonald, brother: George G. McDonald and sister: Jean Janiga (husband Daniel M.).

Margaret grew up in the Chicago suburb of Skokie. Her mother passed away when she was 11. Eventually her father remarried Avis E. McDonald who helped her though her teenage years. She went to high school at Saint Scholastica (1969), then received her Bachelor degree from Loyola University, Chicago (1973). While in college, she spent a year at Loyola's famed Rome Center.

She moved to Champaign to pursue a degree in Linguistics. Here she met her future husband Bob. They were married in August of 1979 in the University's President's garden. They first lived near downtown Urbana and then in 1981 moved to their rural farm house where she spent the rest of her time.

Margaret loved traveling. Married, she took several month along trips to the Far East, Europe, Africa and South America. She had a fascination with languages, eventually mastering five. She catered Thai dinners, worked as a gemologist, and the morning cook at the tavern in Philo. In a blizzard, patrons would pick her up with a snowmobile so that they could always have their morning coffee at the restaurant's round table. Later she studied hard to become a Registered Professional Parliamentarian. As a parliamentarian, her mission was to ensure that the business at large meeting and conferences would be carried out smoothly according to the organization's By-Laws and Robert's Rules of Order. She also was a certified Daughter of the American Revolution.

Margaret's health suddenly declined in February; she succumbed at the Clark Lindsey Village.

A Remembrance for her will be held on Saturday, May 5th at 11am at Owens Funeral Home, 101 N. Elm Street, Champaign, with a visitation one hour prior to services. Pastor Lutz Braunig will be officiating.

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