Margaret "Peg" Rees

Visitation for Margaret R. “Peg” Rees, age 95, of Stanton, Nebraska will be 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., with a 7:00 p.m. Vigil Service on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Stanton.

Home for Funerals – Stanton is in charge of arrangements.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Margaret “Peg” Rose Rees.  Peg left this world in the early hours of Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the Stanton Health Center where she has resided for the past three years. 

Peg was born January 14, 1929, in Winner, SD to Joseph and Loretta (Nolan) Schroeder. When she was quite young, her parents moved to Norfolk, NE where she spent the vast majority of her life.  At a very young age, after her father’s early death and her mother’s subsequent return to work, Peg took on the responsibility of caring for her younger brother. In his own words, “a handful.” Perhaps this is where her commitment to family and strong work ethic originated. 

In May of 1947, Peg graduated from Sacred Heart High School. A few years after graduation, she met Delbert Lee Rees of Tilden, NE. They were married on November 1, 1950, in Madison, NE. After their marriage, they lived for a short time in Tilden where she helped Del run a small café. It was in Tilden that both her daughters, Rebecca and Deborah, were born. Soon after Deborah’s birth, they moved the family to Omaha. A few years later, she and her daughters returned to Norfolk. 

As a single mother raising two young daughters, it wasn’t always easy for her.  While she worked long hours, she was always available to her children, and both would have to say that, while they didn’t have much, they really wanted for nothing. Peg worked most of her adult life for the Hinky Dinky grocery chain and then, when the store closed, she worked a brief time for the Villa Inn in Norfolk.  Soon after her retirement, she moved to Stanton, NE to be closer to her daughter, Deb. In later years, she spent half of the year living with her daughter Deb’s family in Stanton and the other half with Becky’s family in North Bend, WA. 

Peg loved to experience every aspect of life. She loved music, theater, sports, reading, a great restaurant, traveling, and a good bottle of wine. She had a very eclectic musical taste. From Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and YoYo Ma to Gordan Lightfoot, Simon and Garfunkel, and Elvis Presley. One of her greatest joys was seeing Elvis Presley perform on one of her trips to Las Vegas. She was a sports fan through and through. Football and volleyball ranked highest on her list of favorites. While she found herself eventually also rooting for the University of Washington and the Seattle Seahawks, she was the ultimate Nebraska Cornhusker and Denver Broncos fan. 

Loving to experience new places, Peg visited or went through almost every state in the union and was quite proud of this accomplishment. At the top of her all-time great traveling experiences was her cruise to Alaska where she had the opportunity to take a dog sled ride. Another favorite was her trip to New York City where she attended a Broadway performance of Miss Saigon. 

She was an avid walker. Whether in Nebraska or Washington, her day wasn’t complete without a brisk walk. Peg always left the house with a pocket full of peanuts so she could feed the squirrels and birds she met along the way. Ultimately her walks would find her at the library checking out another stack of books, or at Starbucks for a tall Hazelnut Latte (extra hot). Well into her eighties, she was known to walk at least a mile every possible day. At age 89, she completed Omaha’s Trek Up the Tower; 40 floors and 870 steps. To this day the team she climbed with bears her name, Peg’s Climbing Crew. 

All this being said, nothing filled her heart with joy more than her family. Peg considered her family to be her greatest achievement. She loved spending time with them, and rarely missed attending events her grandchildren and great grandchildren participated in, from dance, music, ballet, and theater performances to volleyball, football, and baseball games. And Peg certainly loved a good game of cards. She lived a full life and was a central link in the lives of three generations.

Peg was preceded in death by her father, mother, and son-in-law, Frederick Rappin.

She is survived by her brother, Joseph (Yvonne) Schroeder; daughters, Deborah (Bert) Lammli and Rebecca Rappin; grandchildren, Sonya (Cory) Locke, Christina Rappin, Amanda (Johnny) Dickey, Amelia Medina, Heidi (Cody) Farrens, and Chandra (Bryan) Nichols; and great-grandchildren, Ross, Ellie, Aidan, Tavis, Iris, Bradyn, Ryan, Carver, Maddie, Avelyn, Jaxon, Oren, Thomas, Elodie, Emmett, Lenora, William, and Helaina.

Peg loved and was loved. To her daughters she was more than a mother, she was a best friend. To her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she was a constant presence. Peg forged special relationships with each family member, and even others in the community felt comfortable calling her Granny Peg. Nothing will ever fill the void her passing leaves in their lives, but they are consoled by memories of the many “Granny Peg” moments of lore and in knowing that she is finally at peace. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider placing a donation in Peg’s name with either the Animal Shelter of Northeast Nebraska at https://www.animalshelternn.org or the Stanton Health Center via check PO Box 407, Stanton, NE 68779 (memo line Peg’s Memorial Fund). Cards to the Lammli Family can be mailed to PO Box 995, Stanton, NE 68779.

Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.homeforfuneralsinc.com.

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