Peggy Elaine Zierlein

Peggy Elaine Perry was born on October 20, 1937, to Dick Chester Perry and Helen Eileen Borden Perry. She married Leonard Leroy Zierlein on February 14, 1960, in Livingston Montana. She passed away in Redmond, Oregon on March 11, 2022. Peggy was the third of seven children and the only girl. She grew up in the Park County, Montana area, including the towns of Clyde Park and Livingston. She graduated in 1955 as Valedictorian of Clyde Park High School. She was offered a scholarship to Montana State University, but chose to defer attendance, hoping to help her family, as her dad, Dick Perry had passed away. Peggy’s mother also passed away while Peggy was in her early 20’s. Due to her mom’s passing, Peggy stayed with her brothers and didn’t actually attend college. She worked at Wilcoxin’s Soda Fountain in Livingston and was the “head girl” there. That is where she met her future husband, Leonard, who was stationed in Livingston as the Navy Recruiter. They married, and then Peggy followed Leonard as he reported to many duty stations, including Albuquerque NM, Oxnard CA, San Diego CA, Dallas TX. While Leonard was stationed in Antarctica, she and their girls spent a year in Redmond. Everywhere they went, she made friends, some lifetime, and served in various positions, including President of the Navy Wives Club when they were in Port Hueneme. Peggy was always willing to work hard, and some of her jobs included doing paid laundry, painting houses, clerical work, and while in Dallas Texas, was a supervisor for Keypunch Services. When Leonard retired from the Navy in 1973, they returned to Redmond with their daughters, Nancy and Kathy. While Leonard was in Antarctica, Peggy found out that Kathy had a severe hearing loss along with mild cerebral palsy. Testing was done at the University of Oregon Health Sciences in Portland. Since they lived where there were few services for children with needs such as this, Peggy was sent home with some flash cards and instructions on how to teach Kathy to speak, how to acclimate and use a hearing aid, and how to best help Kathy walk and develop her fine motor skills. Peggy took on the task of teaching Kathy with the skill and positivity with which she approached all challenges. Peggy (and Leonard) were Kathy’s lifelong advocates, and their encouragement and confidence allowed Kathy to complete regular school and graduate from Redmond High School, as well as LDS Business College. Peggy was an amazing mom to her two daughters. Peggy supported her girls in pursuing excellence both in and out of school. She served in the Girl Scouts and when no one else wanted to step forward, she said she would be the 4-H leader for Nancy’s rabbit club “FOR ONE YEAR.” But then 4-H became a life-long calling for her. She took on the “Holstein Hoppers” club in 1974, and with the help of the members, renamed it the “Juniper Hoppers” and was active as a 4-H leader for more than 25 years. She was crucial in designing the small animal barn and show area for the new fairgrounds. She loved working with the 4-H-ers and talking to them. In 1994, Peggy was chosen as the 4-H leader of the year. Once she “retired” as an active leader, she was often called upon to judge small county fairs. She would go to Burns, Lakeview or other small towns in Oregon and judge the conformation of rabbits, chickens, and sometimes other more exotic animals. She loved the chance to meet with young people and hear about their projects. Peggy loved all animals and was able to raise many lambs and calves on their small farm. She also loved dogs, and had many wonderful dogs over the years, including Mimi, Coaly, Bridget, Sam, Duke, Bear, Melody (Kathy’s service dog), Missy and Rueben (Kathy’s most recent service dog). Peggy was an avid bowler and continued to bowl even after shoulder reconstructive surgery—she just bowled left-handed instead. In fact, she did not resign as secretary of her most recent league until May of 2020. She and Leonard would travel to state bowling tournaments in Portland or Salem, and sometimes tournaments in Reno. They were often joined by good friends Irene and Dee Andyke. Peggy was active in the LDS church and served in a variety of callings. Almost everyone in all the Redmond wards has benefitted from her service through the years. Peggy will be greatly missed, but we are comforted knowing she is reunited with Leonard, her husband of 61 years. Peggy was preceded in death by her youngest brother Robert, parents Dick and Helen Perry, and her husband Leonard. She is survived by her brothers, Dick (Cara), Art (Alice), Jesse (Goldie), and Glen; her daughters, Nancy and Kathy, her grandchildren Jessica (Steven), Colleen (Collin), Cameron and Natalie, as well as 4 great grandchildren, Jackson, Sierra, Piper and Griffin. The funeral services will be on Friday, March 18, 2022, at the Redmond LDS church. The viewing will be at 10:30 am, services at 11:30 am, and internment at the Redmond City Cemetery at 1:00 pm. The family would like to thank the medical professionals in Central Oregon who were integral in her care, specifically the nurses at St. Charles Redmond and Bend ICU, and Dr. Hughes at Central Oregon Family Medicine. Funeral arrangements by Autumn Funeral Homes.