Margaret "Peggy" Lerner, 85, Spokane, WA formerly of Harvey, ND died Monday at her home in Spokane. Funeral services are being held 2 p.m. Thursday, September 1 at the Hennessey Funeral Home in Spokane, WA. Graveside services will be held on Saturday September 10, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. at the St. Cecilia Catholic Cemetery, Harvey, ND. Hertz Funeral Home, Harvey is in charge of local arrangements.

Obituary for Margaret Elizabeth Lerner

Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Lerner, 85, died peacefully at home in Spokane surrounded by her immediate family on August 22.

Peggy was born to Albert and Lucy Biever on December 19, 1930 on a farm near Manfred, North Dakota. She attended elementary school at Saint Cecilia Catholic school, and public high school in Harvey North Dakota, where she graduated in 1949 as class valedictorian. She was a gifted musician, playing the piano, oboe, and church organ. She was the lead musician in the North Dakota State orchestra in the late 1940s.

She attended North Dakota Agricultural College (now NDSU) in Fargo, graduating as a dietitian in 1953. She was employed by Harper Hospital in Detroit, and later at a hospital in Boise.

Peggy married the love of her life, 2nd Lieutenant Maynard "Gene" Lerner in 1957. The couple lived in Boise, ID; Minot, ND; Merced, CA; and Spokane, WA; their itinerancy dictated by Gene's Air Force career.

Peggy was an avid bowler and mah jongg player and an enthusiastic quilter. More recently she was a college basketball fanatic, a surprise to all who knew her, coming as she did from a non-athletic and short-of-stature family. Peggy was a Meals on Wheels volunteer for 37 years, and was active in the Southside Newcomers Club for just as long.

Peggy is survived by her husband Lt. Col. USAF (retired) Gene Lerner, her sister Dorothy Davis of Lakewood, WA, and her children Sally Galati (Craig), Steve (Paige Stockley), Shawn, and grandchildren Corin Galati, Carson Galati, and Margaret "Daisy" Lerner; 18 nieces and nephews, and 22 cousins.

A funeral service is scheduled for Thursday, September 1 at 2:00 p.m. at Hennessey Funeral Home, 1315 N. Pines Rd, Spokane, with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Peggy's life. Peggy will be interred at the St. Cecilia Catholic Cemetery in Harvey, North Dakota. Donations can be made in Peggy's name to Meals on Wheels Spokane (mowspokane.org) or to Horizon Hospice (horizonhospice.com)