Margaret Lundeen (nee Ott), a 39-year Oak Park resident, died peacefully at home on June 29, 2012. Born on Oct. 13, 1931, she was raised in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. A graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Margaret served as an inspiration to those who were privileged enough to have grown up in her company during the 1960s and early 1970s.
In her early 20s, she was already an independent career woman in the advertising business world dominated by males. As an employee of Needham, Harper and Steers, she was one of the first female time-buyers for television advertising. As part of this new industry, she wholeheartedly embraced the new and exciting world of air transportation, traveling extensively with her good friends during the early days of commercial flight. Later, she was a pioneer in the field of media duplication, as an entrepreneur and vice president of the company she co-owned, Media International.
She had a great appreciation for the dramatic and performing arts. A star in her own right, her performances, whether at family parties or with the Metropolitan Players of Roosevelt University, were always entertaining and memorable.
A longtime member of St. Catherine-St. Lucy Parish, she also served as a volunteer at the local Economy Shop for over 10 years. You’d be certain to remember the vitality of her demeanor and the complement of her trademark red hat. With her death, the mold was broken; there could never be another.
Margaret Lundeen is survived by her son, Thomas Lundeen; her brothers, Henry Ott and Thomas Ott; her grandson, Daniel Diomedes; her cousins, Delia Evans and Edwina Evans; her niece, Elizabeth Tamayo; her grand-nephew, Nino Tamayo; her grand-niece, Christina Tamayo; and by the friends who were graced by her loyalty over the years.
Arrangements were handled by Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home and details of her memorial service may be found at www.zimmermanharnett.com or 708-366-2200.
