Margaret “Peggy” Anne Schaefer Wedell, age 89, of Shoreview, Minnesota passed away Friday, May 13 at the Rose of Sharon., a Villa Center nursing home in Roseville.
Margaret Anne Schaefer was born on September 13, 1932 in Wessington Springs as the second daughter of George and Effie (McVey) Schaefer and younger sister to Betty (Schaefer) Dean. She attended Schaefer School in Chery Township and later graduated from Wessington Springs High School in 1950. She then enrolled at Ancker Nursing School in Saint Paul where she obtained her nursing degree. While at Ancker she met her future husband Richard “Dick” Wedell at a nursing school dance.
On November 10, 1956 Peggy and Dick married in Saint Paul and settled in Shoreview where they raised their four children. While her children were young she established a moms and tots skating program and a local 4-H Club. She later worked at the University of Minnesota in medical research and ended her career with Mutual Service Insurance (MSI).
After retiring from her job as an occupational health nurse at MSI, Peggy served on many local committees and was an active volunteer with the Shoreview Historical Society, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office as a Community Affairs Officer, the Shoreview YMCA, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, and the Ancker Hospital Alumni Association. She received the Shoreview Citizen of the Year award in 2010.
Among her personal interests, she enjoyed doing genealogy and was a charter member of the Harriet G. Walker Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She also loved gardening and raising Cymbidium and Cattleya orchids. Every year she gave the beautiful orchid blooms to her friends, family, and neighbors. She also loved to feed the birds and squirrels and spend time with her two cats.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Richard. She is survived by children Linda (Gerald) Mulhern, Michael (Greta) Wedell, Lisa (Masami) Ueki and Laura (Gabe) Jenkins; grandchildren Connor and Emma Mulhern, Natalie and Lauren Wedell, Ryan and Emily Ueki, Francisco and Olivia Paramo, Josh Jenkins, former exchange student Karin Andersson and her beloved cats Inky and Toby.