Naomi Peck

1944 - 2015

Naomi Greenburg Peck

Ceresco

September 29, 1944 - June 17, 2015

Naomi Peck, of Ceresco, Michigan, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.  She was 70 years old. Naomi was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where she graduated from Senn High School.  She obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where she met her husband of 44 years, Lee Peck.  They married in 1971 and Naomi and Lee moved to Sycamore, Illinois, where they raised their two sons, Jonathan and Joel.  

Naomi worked from home as a studio artist, managed their business, Lee Peck Jewelry, and watched the kids while Lee was a professor, teaching Jewelry and Metalsmithing at Northern Illinois University.  Both talented and accomplished artists, Naomi and Lee often traveled the country with their two children, exhibiting their artwork at juried art fairs.  Their art has also been featured in a number of prestigious art galleries and private collections, including that of former Illinois Governor James Thompson, along with various heads of state, including a former President of Mexico and a former Prime Minister of Israel.  Naomi and Lee were long time exhibitors at a number of renowned shows, including the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair.  After Lee retired from teaching, they moved to the Battle Creek area, where Lee had grown up.  Together they raised walnut trees on several area farms and oversaw the transformation of a large timber frame barn into their dream retirement home, a one-of-a-kind endeavor that took years to complete.

Naomi was politically active and passionate about progressive issues. Though not exceptionally religious, her Jewish heritage and culture remained very important to her.  Naomi possessed a beautiful singing voice, and she cherished every opportunity that she had to sing with "Koleynu," the choir group at Congregation Beth Shalom in DeKalb, Illinois, even after moving to Michigan.  At home, Naomi loved keeping track of the migratory birds that frequented their pond from spring to fall, taking their two Vizslas, Kita and Loca, for runs in the field, tending to her flower gardens, completing the daily crossword puzzles and curling up in bed at night with a good book.  A lifelong baseball fan, Naomi cheered for her Cubbies, but was also a converted Tigers fan. 

Naomi was kind, gentle, compassionate, caring and thoughtful.  She had an extended group of friends dating as far back as her teenage years, with whom she made great effort to stay in touch.  Naomi loved to talk on the phone.  And everyone loved to talk to Naomi.  What Naomi really loved most of all, though, was her family.  Dedicated, devoted and supportive beyond compare, Naomi lovingly placed the needs of others ahead of her own, particularly when it came to family.  Like her mother before her, she was the heart of the family and caring for those she loved was her most important job in life.

Naomi is survived by her husband, Lee, son Jonathan and his wife Jennifer (Hosta), of Battle Creek, son Joel and his wife Maggie (Josh), and their three children Joslin, Jaden and Addison, all of Sycamore, IL.  She loved her grandchildren immensely, as evidenced by the seemingly endless array of their photos throughout her home, and was proud of their accomplishments in both sports and scholastics. 

She is also survived by her older brother, Daniel Greenburg, his wife Judith (Wilson), of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and their son, Zack O'Malley Greenburg and his wife Danielle La Rocco, of New York, NY.  Naomi was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Leah (Rozalsky) Greenburg, of Chicago, IL, Lee's parents, Edwin and Ruth (Morley) Peck, and brother, Frank Peck, all of Battle Creek, MI, and her beloved Labrador Retriever, O.J., and Vizsla, Nico.

Naomi touched so very many lives over the years. Her sudden passing has left a hole in many a heart. A memorial service for family and friends will be held at a future date TBA.