Margie Klug was born on August 31, 1949 to Margot K. Doehring, an artist from Germany, and Mearle Gates, an American soldier. She grew up with her sister, Karin Gates, and brother, Mearle Gates, in San Antonio, Waco, and Bryan, TX, 3 years in Germany, Coalport, PA, and then back to San Antonio, TX. Following high school she graduated from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1971.

She then enlisted in the United States Navy as a lieutenant with rotations in emergency room and intensive care nursing. She received an honorable discharge from the Navy and married Herbert Bolton, father of her two sons, Bryce and Adam Bolton. In 1977, Margie began her studies at the University of Florida in Gainesville and received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1980. Beginning in 1981 she began her work toward a Ph.D. in Physiology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. By 1983 she had completed all course work while often working at the ER as a nurse, published several articles, and was nearing the completion of her dissertation which was a benchmark study on the effects of SCUBA diving while pregnant.

Margie loved animals, trees, visiting the National Parks, and being outdoors. She was often found camping, kayaking, snorkeling with the Manatees in the Crystal River, or canoeing with her like-minded friends at the Hoofers outdoor club at the University of Wisconsin.  Each spring she took her boys canoeing and camping in the Boundary waters and Quetico Provincial Park.

Margie was a hands-on creator and had a passion for exploring and making things happen. Her hobbies included bird watching, pottery, macramé, maintaining a salt water fish tank, and a huge garden in the graduate student housing which required an extra freezer, and sewing clothes for her family.  Earlier, when she lived in Japan, she led SCUBA outings for dozens of people as an inspirational initiator.  Her fun loving and unstoppable can-do attitude was uplifting for all who knew her.

However, on June 11, 1983, she and her new husband, Anthony (Tony) Klug, a computer science professor at the University of Wisconsin, were run over by a drunk driver while out riding their tandem bicycle on a clear summer day in Wisconsin. Tony was killed instantly and Margie was immediately rushed to the emergency room where she stayed in a coma for a number of weeks, and had several operations that saved her life. However, she suffered a permanent brain injury, one leg was amputated, and she was classified as 100% disabled by the VA.

Margie was always a survivor, and determination was always her greatest strength. She was brave and optimistic and felt she could make a full recovery. Margie found incredible excitement in swimming, and returning to the water provided her with great freedom, joy and happiness. She proceeded through 33-1/2 years of relearning how to take care of herself and finding ways to cope with her new handicaps. On Valentine's Day of 2017 her dear tired body finally had had enough and she suddenly and uneventfully left this world for a better place.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 10:00 AM at The First Unitarian Universalist Church Copperfield Campus, 6830 N Eldridge Pkwy #303, Houston, TX 77041.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her memory to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.