Peggy Strand

PEGGY D. (NELSON) STRAND

Oelwein

Peggy D. (Nelson) Strand, 68, of Oelwein, passed away Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at her home in Oelwein. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 6, at First Baptist Church in Oelwein with Pastor Dave Byrd officiating. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the church.

Peggy was born Oct. 29, 1950, in Fayette County, Iowa, the daughter of John and Dora (Gage) Hofer. She graduated from Fayette High School in 1968. On Nov. 23, 1969, she was united in marriage to Timothy Michael Nelson at Fayette United Methodist Church. He preceded her in death in 1995. Peggy was united in marriage to Dale B. Strand on Feb. 26, 2010, at First Baptist Church in Oelwein.

She worked for St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids for many years. Peggy continued her career at the University of Iowa, retiring in 2010, following more than 22 years of service. Over the years, she also held part-time jobs including being a waitress at the Light House Supper Club in Cedar Rapids and Oscar's Restaurant in Hiawatha. Peggy also managed Bob's Hideaway in Marion for a time. Peggy was a loud and enthusiastic fan of both the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs. She was a skilled bowler and held women's bowling records in the Cedar Rapids area. Peggy also liked to shoot pool and would even give her opponent a sly hustle on occasion. Peggy loved attending her grandchildren's activities and beamed with pride at each and every event she went to. She had a massive collection of pigs in her home. All shapes and sizes spilling into rooms throughout the house. Peggy was a Las Vegas kind of girl. She loved to travel there. Keeping with her love of Las Vegas, Peggy spent time as a blackjack dealer at the Meskwaki Casino in Tama and loved every minute of it. Her taste in music included some of the greatest artists to perform on a Las Vegas stage. She loved the music of Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond and Wayne Newton. She loved life and faced it with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. Peggy deeply loved all of her family and friends and loved sharing a great meal and a good laugh with all.

Survivors include her husband, Dale of Oelwein; her children, Tonya (Nicole Watters) Nelson of Marion, John (Stephanie) Nelson of Cedar Rapids, Keith (Janet) Strand of Oelwein and Kristi (Jeremy) Meyer of Tama; 14 grandchildren, Lucas, Madisyn, Hayden, Alex, Emma, Isabel, Olivia, Charlie, Larissa, Keaton, Jacob, Ella, Jonathan and Jenna; two siblings, Rick (Jonnie) Hofer of Oelwein and Cheryl (Stan) Ahlrichs of Hiawatha; stepmother, Audrey Hofer of Randalia; half sister, Janice (CR) Marshall of Stevens Point, Wis.; stepsisters, Shirley (Larry) Wenthe of Prairie City, Bobbie (Allen) Beenken of Grundy Center and Linda (Rod) Bowers of Webster City; and several loving nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Timothy; brother, John Hofer Jr.; and stepbrother, Steven Reynolds.

Memorials may be directed to the family. Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home, Tama is assisting the family with the arrangements.