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Of Waterloo Township, Michigan, age 91, passed away Sunday, August 13, 2023, at Silver Maples of Chelsea. She was born April 10, 1932, in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of George E. and Ruth P. (Litzenberg) Dillinger.

Peggy graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1950, and received her RN from the Albert Einstein Medical Center in 1953.

Peggy married Theodore Fairbank Beals in the Douglas Memorial Chapel in Ann Arbor on June 13, 1954. Peggy was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and her brother George. She is survived by her children, Sandra Beals of Ann Arbor, James Beals (Kelli Sullivan) of Ann Arbor, Lynn Beals of Webster Township, and John Beals of Ann Arbor; two brothers, David Dillinger of Warrington, Pennsylvania, and Paul Dillinger of Escondito, California; five grandchildren, Andrea (Moreno-Beals) (Yoni) Paz, Brian Moreno, Michael Moreno, William Becker, and Josh (Miranda) McVety; one great-grandchild, Soleil Daliya Paz; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Soon after her graduation from nursing school, Peggy came to Ann Arbor to serve as private duty nurse at U of M Hospital for her brother George, who had been seriously injured in an automobile accident. She continued to work at the hospital for many years in various departments. Peggy was a pioneer in childbirth education, founding a local organization, the Family Life Forum, to provide education for the childbearing year, writing books for courses and teacher training, traveling throughout the US and Canada to train teachers, and serving as Co-president of the International Childbirth Association for two terms in the 1960s. She studied homeopathy in the 1980s, attending the National Center for Homeopathy’s Summer School for many years and teaching introductory courses in Ann Arbor. In 1990, Peggy and Ted bought property in Waterloo Township, MI, where they both participated in the township, serving on various boards and committees. In the early 2000s, she learned of Nourishing Traditions, an approach to healthy nutrition, and became active in studying and teaching the principles of Weston A. Price, DDS. She was a chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation for many years, and wrote a book, Caring for Fresh Milk, which continues to be very popular with dairy farmers and consumers of whole, fresh, unprocessed milk. She served on the board of the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation, working to support small dairy farms and farmers. She also participated in a workgroup that brought together representative of small and industrial dairy farmers with state officials in Lansing, Michigan, and resulted in a Report, which she published and sold through her company, Spring House Press.

In addition to her enduring commitment to teaching, Peggy was creative and artistically talented, over the years producing elegant millinery, stained glass art, crewel embroidery, ballroom dancing costumes, and Michigan State Fair prize-winning wedding cakes. She loved to sing, at home and in church choirs, and her gardens were always vibrant works of art. Ted and Peggy were passionate about dancing together. They met at a square dance, and that shared interest was a continuous theme throughout their 66-year marriage. They danced several times a week for nearly 50 years, taking private lessons and participating in many square and ballroom dance clubs.

A celebration of Peggy’s life was held, Sunday, September 24, 2023, 1:30 PM at the Waterloo Township Hall, 9773 Mt. Hope Rd. Munith, Michigan. A private burial was held at Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor. Arrangements were entrusted to Cole Funeral Chapel in Chelsea.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation or the National Center for Homeopathy.

To watch the recording of Peggy's celebration of life, please click here


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Comments  

#6 Roy and Annette Howe 2023-08-19 17:00
My wife, Annette and I knew Ted and Peggy from their dancing at the Kool Family Center in Battle Creek. I play in a Ballroom Dance Band, and enjoyed watching their wonderful dancing to my band's music...it made playing music worthwhile.
Annette and I are also Ballroom Dancers, and always appreciated the chemistry Ted and Peggy demonstrated when dancing.
God's Peace to you.
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#5 Sherry Arrick 2023-08-18 14:56
Peggy and I were Regional Coordinators for the National Center for Homeopathy until 2015. We seldom were able to get together in person, except for national conferences where we taught beginner topics. In recent years, we RCs got together virtually and had time to share some good memories. Peggy had a zest for whatever she tackled and we will miss her contributions!
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#4 Kim Lockard 2023-08-18 08:38
I had the privilege of meeting Peggy in early 2000 in Lansing while Lisa Capraro and I were hosting an exhibit table for the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) at a farming conference. To this day I remember how excited she was about the information and the fact that she bought multiple journals from our display. She and Ted were extremely supportive and active on many fronts for the WAPF and their contributions were, and are, invaluable. So interesting how things happen—just yesterday I was going through some old cassette tapes and came across a 2004 recording of Peggy presenting a fermentation workshop at our local chapter’s harvest festival which I listened to in preparation for a workshop on the topic at my next WAPF chapter meeting. She’s still teaching! I’m so thankful and grateful for knowing both of them.
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#3 John & Judy Tomlian 2023-08-17 20:50
We met Peggy through dancing. Her and Ted ended up taking many dance lessons from us. They got to be really good, and ended up doing a dance showcase for one of our dance parties. Ted was very attentive to Peggy, He always seemed to look to Peggy for approval and wanting to please her. Peggy and Ted were a very lovely couple and fit each other perfect. We ended up being really good friends, having good times together with the dancing through the years.
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#2 Joe Scrimger 2023-08-17 20:49
Peggy asked me to take a position as a board member of the FTCF, after working with her in many farm and consumer meetings along with 5 years of monthly meetings with the MDA Dairy Division and others on the issue of “Fresh Milk”. I talked with dairy farmers today and reference those many meetings. She helped the future of MI Fresh Milk farmers and dairy consumers alike and was so nicely passionate about giving her assistance. I was fortunate to be able to talk with her in her last weeks and she still had that ‘grace’ about her even though she had taken a fall. She was a gift in these last 20 years that I knew her. In thinking of her and Ted being together again, I find that possibly a natural cycle is complete. Thanks Peg for everything you shared.
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#1 Heather McDougall 2023-08-16 13:34
I will never forget the day Peggy came to my home in Grass Lake and did a presentation for myself and several friends about the proper handling and uses of raw milk. She was a spitfire! She changed my life and the health of my family with that introduction to real milk. Through her and Ted’s diligent work and leadership we are able to enjoy real milk through a Herdshare agreement- forever changing the health of Michiganders for the better! Godspeed Peggy!
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