Margaret (Peggy) Boelts passed away peacefully January 13, 2018.
Peggy was born in Culpeper, Virginia, in 1923 to Grace and Frank Maguire. Her fondest
childhood memories were playing with siblings, Florence, LeAnne, Jimmy, Frank and countless cousins on the Brown family farm in Boston, VA., where they enjoyed meals of smoked ham, biscuits and gravy, and fried apples.
During WWII she worked at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia. At this time she met Vance Boelts while he was on leave. In 1943 they married in Great Falls, Montana. Later, when Vance returned from duty in the South Pacific, they moved to the Boelts family farm in Nebraska’s heartland. This is where they settled and raised their three children, Vance Jr., Brenda, and Nedra. Working 7 days a week over the years, she and Vance grew the family’s farm into a successful agribusiness, and she was active in the American Legion Auxiliary, 4-H Leadership, and the DAR. During this time they also homesteaded a 1,000 acres in Diamond Valley Nevada and turned desert into farmland.
In later years, as her children went off to college, Peggy returned to school and earned an
associate degree in psychology and membership in Phi Theta Kappa. Upon retiring, Peggy and Vance started traveling the world. They were some of the first recent Western visitors in China and then joined the Peace Corps in the early 70’s and moved to Iran. All her life
Peggy was an avid learner so experiencing other cultures was a fulfilling experience.
When her husband developed Alzheimers, she cared for him until his death. It was during this time she began collecting and selling vintage jewelry, allowing her an outlet from the daily stress of caregiving. After Vance passed away, her children moved her back to Virginia to be near family members. Peggy was living at Orchard Woods in Winchester, VA, when she passed away. She is survived by three children, two grandchildren and one great grandchild. Her children and spouses are Vance Jr. & Carolyn Boelts of Portland, Oregon, Brenda & Charlie Chapin of Winchester, Virginia, and Nedra and Hugh Smith of Destin, Florida. Two grandchildren, Brant and Marnie Boelts and Brant’s wife Jen and son Brolin live in Washington State. She is also survived by 13 nieces and nephews and their families.
A family memorial will be held in Central City, Nebraska, at a future date.