Margaret “Peggi” Ann Scholl

April 18, 1937 – February 2, 2025

My precious grandmother, Margaret “Peggi” Ann Scholl, passed away on Sunday, and in her final weeks, she was surrounded by her family and at home, which is exactly what she wanted. I was able to be in Ohio for several days with her by her hospital bed, and while her health decline was sudden and pretty unexpected, having these sacred, special days together were a profound gift. We held hands, we fed her, we reminisced and shared memories, we talked about life, we gave her countless forehead kisses, we prayed, and even in all the profound sadness and tears, we laughed. What a gift. As devastated and heartbroken as we are to have lost my grandma, we simultaneously rejoice that she is fully healed, free from pain, and in Heaven with Jesus – and the inexplicable joy of being reunited with her beloved husband of 60+ years, Paul, my grandpa. Grandma missed him every moment of every day over the last six years, and I cannot imagine their joyous reunion. One of the very last things Grandma told me before she passed away was how she couldn’t wait to hug Paul again, and how she couldn’t wait to hug her parents and her brothers again. Knowing this brings so much peace, and while we will surely miss her beautiful presence and her unconditional love, we find so much comfort knowing she lived a very long and very happy life: Grandma told me in her final days that all she ever wanted was a quiet and peaceful life with her family. 

So much of who Grandma is can be summed up by the relationships in her life: she truly loved her family (and her “adopted” family – anyone who knew her instantly loved her, and vice versa!) more than anything. Grandma was a devoted wife to Grandpa for over sixty years, and I could write a book about how truly special, beautiful, and real their love was. In his final years, she took great care of him, and she modeled such selfless, sacrificial love, though she would never say that – they were the great loves of each other’s life, and it was utterly apparent in every way. After Grandpa passed away, Grandma would still “talk” to him all day, every day: his photo was the background of her watch and her phone, and she missed him deeply. Their marriage and love are still so inspiring, and they leave behind the most special, special legacy.

Their three boys (my dad and his brothers: David, Mike, and Andi) were the other great loves of her life. Grandma and Grandpa had three boys in three years, and she would always joke that their sons are why her hair turned white by the age of fifty – their ornery antics and childhood stories are family lore. All three boys were the best and most loving sons who loved their mom fiercely, and I’ve witnessed their selfless, generous love for their parents firsthand for so many years. Grandma was so proud of each of them for a million reasons. Their wives (Brenda and Julie) became instant daughters to her, and Grandma loved them as if they were her own. She was the best grandmother in the world, and Grandma loved her three granddaughters (Stephanie (Rob), Bridgette (Rob), and Emily) more than words can say. Goodness, she loved being a grandma! And later in her years, she became the proudest great-grandmother to three boys (Henry, Thomas, and Matthew), and they brought the biggest smiles and unparalleled joy to her life whether they were visiting her in person or via Facetime. Grandma also fiercely loved her beloved siblings, their spouses, and her nieces and nephews so very much, and she talked about them all so often. Her family – and her love for all of her family – is such a big part of her legacy, and what a blessing to be the recipient of her love!

Not only will I forever treasure the time I had with Grandma in her final days, but I also treasure that I got to be her granddaughter and be loved by her for 37 years. She is unbelievably precious to me, and so much of who I am comes from her. Among many other things, I get my deep love of reading, books, and libraries from my Grandma, and I can’t begin to count the number of conversations we’ve had about books, how many trips to the library and the bookstore we’ve taken together, the beloved novels and authors Grandma has introduced me to (Gone with the Wind and Pat Conroy, for starters), and how many of our shared memories revolve around books and reading. She and I share a love of the color blue, calligraphy, family, travel, and Ireland. She’s always been the biggest cheerleader of every job I’ve had, every wedding I’ve planned, every blog post I’ve written, and every milestone achieved. All of my friends know so many stories about Grandma because of who she is and how she touched so many lives.

From Camp Grandma in Ohio every summer of our childhood to breakfast dates with Grandma and Grandpa to Christmas shopping together to taking Bridgette and myself to her beloved Ireland when we were teenagers to her begrudgingly watching Wimbledon with us to our countless visits to slice and bake cookie baking to thrifting together to meeting my husband Rob and loving him instantly and everything in between, I have countless special memories with my grandparents. Every time I visited them, I would write little love notes and hide them all around their house, something I knew they loved and was such a little surprise to find when we weren’t together. Grandma made a point to always have a full stash of stickers to use, was forever sending us cards and newspaper clippings about our interests, was so much fun to talk with on the phone, always had our favorites on hand when we visited, and made every moment of every day brighter and full of life. I can only hope to live out Grandma’s beautiful legacy throughout my life and carry the incredible impact that she has had on me for decades to come.

Grandma was strong in her Catholic faith. She was giving of her heart and her talents. She spent thousands of hours over thirty years volunteering at the hospital rocking babies (oh the joy she felt holding babies!) and teaching at-risk expectant mothers to crochet and knit. She “adopted” so many – I can’t tell you how many honorary granddaughters or nieces or nephews she and my Grandpa had, as they were so selfless and generous with their love and invited anyone in. You couldn’t help but feel an instant connection to her, and she was so giving of love. Grandma was sweet and witty, kind and funny, so patient and loving, and was so much fun to talk with and learn from. 

Grandma passionately loved Ireland and all things Irish and traveled there several times; she was a very proud breast cancer survivor (over forty years); she loved dogs and Abraham Lincoln and teddy bears and crocheting and reading. We always teased her that anyone would instantly know her passions when they stepped through her front doors by her decor and bookshelves. I don’t know too many people who have an actual yarn room or hundreds of books on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War or who have dozens of shamrocks and teddy bears all throughout their house! She was always in the middle of crocheting a blanket for a baby and in the middle of a great book. While she was the sweetest woman in the world filled with so much warmth and genuine love and interest for others, she also had the most unsuspecting, hilarious sense of humor. She could sneak in a zinger of a joke or a line like no one else, and I will forever remember her beautiful smile and infectious laughter. 

As Grandma told me in the last days of her life, “Oh honey, remember those memories. I love you, I love you. I know these days are hard, but I’m at peace.” I love you, Grandma, forever and always.

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.