Obituary: Margaret “Peggy” Catherine Dillinger Beals, RN
Margaret “Peggy” Catherine Dillinger Beals, RN 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 will be held at a later date. A private burial will be 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.
