Margaret Kathleen (Peggy) O'Neill Beyers, 75, of Bay View, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin died on June 23, 2019 in Bay View after a lengthy struggle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, James and two children, Patricia (Jeff) Pelzel, of Pewaukee, WI and Foster John (Yi-Ping) Beyers, of Staunton, VA. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Ross (21) and Clare (15) Pelzel and Amelia Beyers (5) of Staunton, Virginia.
Peggy was born on November 28, 1943 in Sioux City, Iowa to Thomas and Esther O'Neill (Heck) of Jackson, Nebraska. Peggy was the oldest girl and the second oldest of thirteen children. She was preceded in death by her parents and three of her brothers.
Peggy attended elementary and high schools in Nebraska and graduated from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa majoring in Speech Therapy. After graduation she moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where she worked as a speech therapist in the city schools and later in the Head Start Program in the eastern Upper Peninsula.
Peggy and Jim were married on June 29, 1968 in Jackson, Nebraska and moved to Devon, Pennsylvania, where Peggy was employed as a Speech Therapist at the Royer-Greaves School for the Blind and Deaf in Paoli. In 1973, after the birth of Patricia, Peggy became a full-time home maker. The family moved to Plattsburgh, New York where Jim was employed at CVPH Medical Center. After Foster John was born the family moved to Petoskey, Michigan where Jim was Administrator of Little Traverse Hospital. They then moved to Monroe, WI where they resided for 14 years before retiring to Madison, WI.
In 1997 after Jim retired Peggy and Jim bought a cottage in the Bay View Association and began to spend five months of the year there. Peggy and Jim were long time members of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Petoskey.
Peggy was devoted to her children and grandchildren and they adored her. She was an avid gardener in Bay View spending hours creating a beautiful flower garden each season. She was great friends with her sisters and they gathered for the weekend each year on Mothers' Day. Peggy was very interested in and actively supported political candidates who fought for social justice.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on June 27, 2019 at St. Francis Xavier Church, in Petoskey, Michigan. Father Dennis Stilwell officiated the service. Burial has taken place at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery.
Friends and family wishing to make a charitable donation in memory of Peggy are asked to please consider The Liferaft Group (155 US Highway 46, Suite 202, Wayne, New Jersey, 07470) a non-profit organization centered around a rare cancer called GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor).
You are welcome to sign Peggy's guest book at www.stonefuneralhomeinc.com
