Doris M. Wheeler

Doris (Peggy) M. Wheeler Dimondale Peggy passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 28, 2012. She was born December 19, 1926 in Lansing, the daughter and youngest child of Percy and Edna Bengry, beginning a long life that she would fill with adventure, hard work, humor, incredible accomplishment, friends and, most importantly, family. Her happy childhood in Lansing was spent climbing trees, playing sports, roller-skating, dancing, babysitting her nieces and nephews. As a teenager her first job was spinning records at Arbaugh's department store where on Saturday's World War II soldiers would come to listen to the music. Peggy then entered the next stage of her life - as the self-sufficient single mom to seven kids. In 1957 she moved her family to Dimondale, where she loved the tree-lined streets and small-town life. She supported her family through an enjoyable career at Oldsmobile, though some of her best memories were working for the Levandowski family at L&L Food Center. There she enjoyed her customers and co-workers, and always remembered the kindness of the owners. Never letting the struggles of single parenting get her down she taught her kids to enjoy life no matter their circumstances, setting that example by staying active with softball, dancing and being part of the Thirty-Niner's Club, where she could interact and socialize. Simple family-focused healthy living enabled her to enjoy to the fullest the next chapter of her life: a retirement filled with exquisite physical health, trips and activities. However, this active and energetic woman's real passion was her family, and she spent the last four decades of her life on gym bleachers, in lawn chairs and on theater seats watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren practice, play, compete and perform. Her family, from her oldest child to her youngest great-grandchild, could count on an open door, a full cookie jar, a cold can of Coke and a complex jigsaw puzzle to tackle and catch up on life; if her car was in the garage. If not, she was likely off playing cards, enjoying a round of golf, square dancing locally or on a tour with the Grand Paraders, traveling to visit her out-of-town children or some exotic locale, volunteering at a local soup kitchen or enjoying worship and fellowship at Dimondale United Methodist Church. Of course, on each and every Saturday morning, she could be found laughing and talking, surrounded by all generations of family and extended family at Mike's Village Restaurant in Dimondale, a treasured and continuing family tradition for more than 40 years. Peggy is survived by six devoted children: James Albertson of Dimondale, Dianne (David) Gnass of Dimondale, Robert (Penny) Wheeler of Charlotte, Bonnie Wheeler of Hobe Sound, FL, Sue Wood of Munger, and Scott (Sandy) Wheeler of Leslie; 22 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and numerous caring friends and neighbors. Peggy was preceded in death by her oldest child, Ron Albertson (Vietnam, 1968), her parents, four sisters and one brother. The family would like to extend a special thank you to everyone at Hospice House of Mid-Michigan for the gentle and loving care they showed this special lady. It's as much of an honor to watch someone leave this world as it is to see someone come into it, and the family is grateful that the staff created a peaceful and kind environment for the whole family to spend Peggy's last weeks with her. A funeral service will be held at Dimondale United Methodist Church on Friday, May 4 at 3 p.m. The family will receive friends two hours prior to the service (1-3 p.m.). Interment will follow at the Dimondale Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Peggy to the Dimondale United Methodist Church (Dimondale) or Hospice House of Mid-Michigan (Lansing). Funeral arrangements by Field & Leik Funeral Home, Dimondale.