Marguerite Knox

Marguerite "Peggy" June (Reetz) Knox, age 97, passed away on July 17, 2012 at the Ferguson Family Home Quality Care Facility for Women with Memory Loss. She is survived by 5 of her 7 children; Betty (Knox) Reetz Kareen of Deerfield, Susan Dea (David) Weigandt of Richland Center, Woodard Dean (Christine) Knox of McFarland, Jay Foster Otto Knox of Iowa, and Douglas Bruce Knox of Milwaukee. She was married on August 27, 1941 to Hallie Hilbert Knox until his death in July 1987. She was preceded in death by her husband, Hallie; her sons, Thomas Lynn Knox and Hilbert Knox, her sister Evelyn (Reetz) Bain, and her sister Adeline Mae (Reetz) Tate. She has 16 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. After high school, Peggy attended "County Normal" and taught rural school for a few years. She attended school at UW Madison for 2 years, then went with her sister Evelyn (Reetz) Bain to St. Olaf College and graduated there in 1941 with a degree in Music Education. For many years she was the business manager for her husband's building business "Hilbert Builders". She was an avid volunteer both before and after her retirement as a substitute teacher, homemaker, and business manager. Her volunteering included the UW Hospital, teaching Sunday school at the Baptist Church (65 year teaching plaque), Sixties Plus Meals, R.S.V.P., Community and church choir, St. Mary's nursing Care, teaching crocheting to foreign students, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and 4H. She cared for her husband Hallie, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, making sure he was at home. He died in her loving arms after a long 8 year bed-ridden battle. Her talents included piano, violin, singing, baking, canning, elderberry syrups, and cooking for a family of eight. Baking in one session included breads of 6 varieties, 24 dozen cookies, a dozen pies, and assorted other treats of the season. She made these with her own jams, jellies, and canned fruits. Her canning included many varieties of pickles, tomatoes, peaches, beets, beans, corn and anything she could buy in bulk and can. Sundays were passed with a large after church meal for lunch and leftovers (serve yourself) for dinner, followed by popcorn with the Disney show. The Ferguson Family Home Quality Care Facility is a special place that cared for Peggy through her final days as if she were family. They are family to us and the things they do can't be qualified or honored too much. The Ferguson Family Care facility and "The Care Wisconsin Program" have our gratitude for the special way they treat those who suffer from Alzheimer's. In lieu of flowers, memorials will all be given to the cause of Alzheimer's Care so that this kind of treatment may continue until a cure is found. A Memorial service will be held on Friday, July 20, 2012 at 11:00 am at Roselawn Memorial Park Chapel, 401 Femrite Drive, Monona. Lunch will follow at First Baptist Church, 518 North Franklin Ave., Madison, WI 53705 at 12:30 pm.