Margaret Hove

Margaret "Maggie" Marie Hove, 71, of Cresco, passed away Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, at Regional Health Services of Howard County in Cresco, surrounded by her family. 

Margaret was born Friday, Aug. 13, 1954, in New Hampton, the daughter of John and Lilah (Dowd) Costigan. She attended South Winneshiek Schools and graduated in 1972. She then went on to attend Nursing School in Waterloo. She was a nurse for a short time before going to work at ADS and then for Alum-line. What she loved most was taking care of her family and the farm.

Maggie met the love of her life Tommie at a dance at the Matter's Ballroom in Decorah. They were united in marriage April 24, 1976, at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Calmar. To this union they were blessed with two children: John and Grace.

Maggie and Tommie had a lot of adventures over the years. They loved to travel and spend time together in new places. Family vacations were an important practice and they would try to go every year. For their honeymoon, they went out to California, and on the way, they picked up Coors in Colorado for all of their friends. Unfortunately, they should have picked the beer up on the way home because not much made it back! After they both retired, they became snow birds and went to the Casa Grande area of Arizona, where they had a toy hauler and an ATV and would go riding all day. Hosting their friends in their camper and showing them the desert were some of their favorite winter activities. Maggie loved photographing the saguaro cacti and the California poppies.

Maggie had many different hobbies over the years. She loved to garden, read books, and take care of the farm. She loved to dance and laugh with her friends. She loved getting on the back of Tommie’s motorcycle or snowmobile and seeing what trouble they could get into. Her ability to tell stories was unmatched and her descriptiveness made you feel like you were there in that moment. She was never afraid to have fun.

Most of all Maggie’s family is what meant the most to her. She would do anything for her family and worked hard to be able to give her kids the best life. She would listen to anybody’s problems and have a solution for them; she never judged anybody. She was a kind soul.

Maggie is survived by her kids; John (Hillary and step-grandson Thais) Hove of Decorah, Iowa and Grace (Aaron) Hove of Cresco, Iowa; her granddaughter Avah (Vinny) Hove, her siblings Mike (Kate) Costigan, Pat Martin, Molly Hormann, and Phil (Marguerite) Costigan; and her brother-in-law, Terrie Hove.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Tommie; parents John and Lilah Costigan; her brothers-in-law, Dale Hormann, Bob Martin, and Larrie Hove, and many great friends and family members.

A visitation will be held on Friday, February 27, 2026, at the Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home in Cresco, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., with a Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. with Father Jacob Rouse officiating. A celebration of life will be held at the family farm on Sunday, April 19, 2026. 

Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home in Cresco is assisting the family.