BOISE, Idaho — Marge Ewing, who served twelve years on the Boise City Council, died Thursday.
Ewing was a council member from 1970 to 1982.
During that time, Ewing was instrumental in establishing the downtown Boise transit system (formerly known as Boise Urban Stages), launching the Boise River Greenbelt project, upgrading the city’s inadequate sewer system, and establishing the site for the current Boise Public Library on Capital Boulevard.
"Marge actually was the one who found this empty warehouse building that the library is in now and arranged for it -- with the Friends of the Library. They arranged for the building to be purchased and remodeled. So she was a great part of the library all along,” said Friends of Boise Public Library spokesperson Bonnie Longstreth.
In fact, a second-floor library conference room is named in Ewing’s honor.
Ewing also served as president of the Friends of the library group from 1999 to 2003 and helped set up library branches all over the city.
Ewing never accepted any political contributions. Instead, she paid all of her campaign expenses out of her own pocket.
According to an Idaho Statesman obituary, Ewing is survived by her sister, seven daughters, fifteen grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren, and one great, great granddaughter.
Ewing’s husband, Bill, died in 1997. They had been married fifty-five years.
Ewing was 98.
A celebration of her life is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Cloverdale Funeral Home in Boise.
