Margaret "Peggy" Pleban's Obituary
Margaret “Peggy” Pleban (nee Deubel), 76, of Wakeman and formerly of Elyria, passed away Saturday, February 8, 2025. She was born April 2, 1948, in Lakewood, OH to parents Alice (nee Ingraham) and Philip Deubel.
Peggy was raised in Eaton Township and graduated from Midview High School in 1966. As a young girl, Peggy helped her family grow produce and sell it at the family farmstand. In high school, she fought to integrate several traditionally all-male student groups and classes. Peggy was the first female student on the school rifle squad, the first female member of the Future Farmers of America, and the first female student to take shop class. A true trailblazer, our Peggy.
Peggy was a fun-loving, outgoing woman who really enjoyed making people laugh. If there was silliness on offer, you can bet she would jump right in. She loved dancing, and she could hula hoop like nobody's business. Over the course of her life, Peggy held many jobs: an upholsterer, a seamstress, a customer service agent, a trophy department manager, a purchasing agent… and her favorite job of all, running a bed and breakfast with her husband, Walt, in the log cabin he built for her.
Peggy met the love of her life, Walt Pleban, during her freshman year of high school. She waited for him to finish his military service while she finished high school, and they were married on July 22, 1967. They moved to Oklahoma for a time while Walt completed his aviation mechanic training and earned his private pilot's license. They returned to Ohio and bought some land in Elyria, where they worked together to build their dream home. Peggy and Walt were very happily married for 57 years and raised two daughters together, partners in all things, to the end.
Peggy and Walt shared many adventures together. They hiked the Grand Canyon three times, camped more times and in more places than they can even remember, traveled to Europe twice and saw nine countries, and spent a lot of time on tropical beaches with their toes in the sand. In her spare time, Peggy volunteered for things that benefited her two daughters, being the best Girl Scout Leader, school volunteer, and band parent around. She adored being a grandparent and spent as much time with her grandchildren as possible. Camping in the living room, bubble baths in the Jacuzzi bathtub, making homemade noodles and cookies, and stomping grapes were all regular occurrences when Grandma got to plan the activities.
No one ever went hungry or un-hugged on Peggy’s watch. If she loved you, you never had reason to doubt it because she told you… loudly and as often as she could. Peggy’s long illness may have slowly stolen her memories and her ability to communicate, but through it all she was her sweet, gentle, and compassionate self. Peggy loved nothing more than caring for people: feeding them, taking care of them, and going the extra mile for those she cared about. She was unfailingly loving, generous, and kind. In a world where you can be anything, be a Peggy.
Peggy is survived by her devoted husband, Walt; daughters Beth (Scott) Berthoff, and Tammy (Kevin) Lacey; grandchildren Nick Lewandowski, Hunter Johnson, and Sarah and Maggie Lacey. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers Raymond and Wayne.
Memorial contributions are suggested to LIFE: A Dementia Friendly Foundation, P.O. Box 117, Oberlin, OH 44074 https://www.dflife.org/donate.html.
The family will receive friends on Friday, February 14, 2025 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the Dovin and Reber Jones Funeral & Cremation Center, 1110 Cooper Foster Park Road, Amherst. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 15th at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church, 46 E. Main Street, Wakeman, OH 44889. Rev. Father Valerian Larawa will officiate. The family invites all attending to join them immediately following the Mass for a luncheon at the Church Social Hall.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.dovinreberjones.com
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