She earned a degree in arts education from the University of Minnesota and moved to Southern California.

[2] She became one of eight heirs to the Minneapolis-based grain-trading conglomerate Cargill.

Forbes magazine listed her in 2005 as the 164th-richest American, with a net worth of $1.8 billion.

[7] She provided that, after her death, the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies would use her wealth for charitable purposes.

[8][9][5][10][11] She died from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on August 1, 2006, at her home in La Jolla, San Diego, California.