Obituary of Peggy Joyce French

Peggy Joyce French

20 Sep 1939 – 6 Nov 2021

Peggy passed away peacefully at the New Brighton Care Center with family by her side on November 6, 2021, after a hard-fought battle against Alzheimer’s and COPD. Peggy was born on September 20, 1939, to Burton and Katherine Larson in Hampton, IA, but the family moved to Jackson, MN shortly thereafter where she spent the bulk of her childhood. She graduated from Jackson High School in 1957 and attended Beloit University from 1957 - 1960 where she studied accounting. It was there she met her first husband, Richard W. Beck, and they lived a wonderful 22 years together in Highland, WI, and had two sons, Bryant and Briton. Peggy later met and married Kenneth French in 1994 and spent 15 blessed years together in Richfield, MN. She worked as an accountant for a number of firms in Wisconsin while raising her two sons, and later worked at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, MN, as a member of the support staff, retiring after 20 years of dedicated and faithful service.

Peggy had a friendly, supportive and positive demeanor that radiated throughout her life and impacted all those she met. One of her favorite hobbies was sewing and quilting and she became quite adept at both, sharing her skills with friends and family throughout her life. Peggy also had a love for nature, with an especial affinity for birds, squirrels and cats. One of her favorite places to visit was the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, MN where she and husband, Ken, would spend hours watching the diverse variety of birds and waterfowl that flow through the park each year. A devout Lutheran and member of the Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Center, she enjoyed spending time and sharing her faith with her family and friends, and especially enjoyed volunteering her time to make quilts and embroidery for the Parrish. She enjoyed visiting the various museums, zoos, parks, and theaters throughout Minneapolis/St. Paul and the surrounding areas, especially the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. She also enjoyed spending time with her cats Tiffany and Tiffany 2, dining at new restaurants, swimming, reading, and watching favorite old television shows. She especially loved going to the movies with family and friends and dining out at her favorite bakery-cafe, Panera Bread!

Preceded in death by her parents Burton and Katherine and husbands Richard and Ken, Survived by her younger brother David, sons Bryant and Briton, and grandchildren Kelsey, Monique, Charlie, and Kael.

A memorial service will be held sometime in the Spring, time/date TBD, at the Wood Lake Nature Center where she requested her ashes be spread by her beloved Ken. Memorials may be made in Peggy’s name to: Wood Lake Nature Center, richfieldmn.gov and Landscape Arboretum, arb.umn.edu.