Peggy Christensen: 1951-2012
Margaret K. “Peggy” Christensen, 60, of Wessington, SD, died Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. Peggy’s memorial mass will be Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. the Wessington Community Center in Wessington. Father Chester Murtha will celebrate the mass. There will be a Christian Wake service Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center. A lunch and time for fellowship will follow the services. A private cremains burial will take place at a later date. http://www.thelenfuneralhome.com
The following obituary is in Peggy’s own words.
Margaret Kathryn Heim “Peggy” was born to Ignatius Anthony and Myrn Marie (Sparling) Heim on their fourth wedding anniversary on November 24, 1951. She was the third child of a third child, that being her dad “Naish Heim”. She was born at Faulkton, SD and she was the fourth generation to live at the Lenhoff homestead just east of Faulkton.
She was baptized at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Faulkton. Fred and Catherine Bode were her Godparents.
At the age of one she moved with her family eighteen miles east of Faulkton and eight miles north of Rockham to what is known as Heim Buffalo Ranch. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic Boarding School at Zell, SD, where she received her First Holy Communion and Confirmation, and attended there through fifth grade. She finished sixth, seventh and eighth grade school in a one room school (Pioneer Township School) located about three miles east of her home. She attended and graduated from Cresbard High School in 1970, she was honored by being Homecoming Lady along with Lord Gene Toennies. She was a Cresbard Comet Cheerleader.
Peggy worked at Control Data Corporation in Aberdeen, SD and married her high school sweetheart on October 12, 1973, Larry Duane Harmon from Chelsea, SD. They farmed with his parents (Lloyd and Thelda Harmon) when he was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident due to visibility from an upcoming storm on January 26, 1975 near Eagle Butte, SD. To this union a beautiful baby girl was born on August 4, 1975, NaLani Lar Ray Harmon. Peggy and NaLani loved all types of ranch life with buffalo, horses etc.
When NaLani was five, she insisted that Peggy find her a dad so she could be like all the other kids and have a dad too. About this time, Jerauld County Rancher from Wessington Springs, Lennis Fagerhaug gave John Christensen a business card from Heim Buffalo Ranch. This is when John, Peggy and NaLani all met. John had one buffalo cow, he started bringing to Heim Buffalo Ranch to leave for the summer. They were married January 8, 1983. Peggy and NaLani’s life went from buffalo to Simmental cattle. They all loved this life. John adopted NaLani and John and Peggy had two more beautiful daughters. Cam Colleen was born January 30, 1986, Carly Colette was born April 29, 1993.
In 2002 John and Peggy and girls moved five miles further north of the Christensen Ranch there address was Wessington and formed 3C Christensen Ranch and built their home on Liberty Hill where a life size statue of Liberty is on a big boulder. Peggy loved her beloved Liberty Hill where you can almost see eternity. She loved the smell of a fresh rain, and new cut hay. She loved horse races and really liked Secretariat. She loved and cherished her life with John and their three beautiful grandchildren produced by NaLani and her husband Rick Dunsmore: Nalea Nicole born on February 27, 2003, Chase Daniel born on November 29, 2009 and Swayzee Rae born on January 8, 2012, born on John and Peggy’s wedding anniversary . She cherished her ranch life with John and all aspects with her beloved daughters NaLani, Cam and Carly, son-in-law Rick and grandchildren.
Peggy was so excited to be able to buy back the four generation Lenhoff farm (23.8 Acres) on her 58th birthday. This farm is now safe with her cousins forever the Baumgartner Brothers: Tom, Charlie and Ronald who plan to restore the building site and acres which were part of Peggy’s dream.
Survived by her husband John, three daughters: NaLani and her husband Rick (children Nalea, Chase and Swayzee), daughter Cam and fiancé Tyler Fagerhaug, daughter Carly and boyfriend Wyatt McKenney, Edna Hawley who was like a grandma to all. First father-in-law Lloyd Harmon of Aberdeen, SD; brother Merrill and wife Cindy Heim and nephew Jake of Rapid City; sister Mary Ann Peterson (Kate, Anna and Paul, and Sam); brother Leonard and wife Jeannie ( Ryan and Sara, Jacqualan and Shawn, Hilary and Todd, Chris and Meggin, Sarah and Jordan, Alex and Cassie); brother Nick and wife Eiko (Jennifer and Emma); sister-in-law Evie (Chad and Amy, Tonya and Brad, Shannon and Andy, Michael); brother-in-law Chris and wife Sheila (Bryan and Lynette, Amy and Alex); sister-in-law Nyla and husband Jens (Brent and Kim, Aaron) (JC and Rochelle).
Preceded in death by parents Naish and Myrn Heim, brother Tony Heim, nephew Cody Heim, first husband Larry Harmon, first mother-in-law Thelda Harmon, mother and father-in-law Elisabeth and Jens Christensen.
