Menard, Lillian (Peggy)

Menard, Lillian (Peggy)
July 7, 1926 – September 15, 2018

Lillian (Peggy) Menard, nee Bogstie, was born in Gleichen, Alberta on July 7, 1926. She was the youngest child with five older brothers and one older sister to teach her the ropes. Her family experienced some difficult times when their business (a machinery dealership) was lost in the 1930s. To help pay the bills, her mother owned a dairy farm and enlisted Peggy’s help with the chores. She washed and racked the milk bottles and helped her brothers deliver the milk around town by horse and buggy. After the depression Peggy’s father opened a garage and pool hall.
During the summer months, Peggy loved swimming at the dugout. She also assisted her mother with their four-lot garden. One summer the neighborhood boys helped themselves to some corn and told everyone in town that it was the worst corn they had ever tasted. The joke was on them! Apparently it was actually grown for ‘popping corn’!
Peggy married Leslie “Bunk” Menard (another Gleichenite) on May 16, 1956 and together in Gleichen they raised three children: Leslee “Lee” 1957, William “Bill” 1959, and James “Jim” in 1965.
She had a strong work ethic. Some of the various careers in her life included working as a switchboard operator, secretary for an equipment rental company, owned and operated a mobile hamburger stand, and worked as an insurance agent.
Peggy had many passions throughout her life. She knit as a young lady. When she worked for a business that shared a building with the Calgary Stampeder Football team, she knit a Siwash sweater for every member of the team! She also enjoyed making pettie point pictures and cutting doilies. Gardening was a passion. Her yard was always well groomed and there was not a weed to be found. She made sure her perennials were always timed to have something in bloom and complemented with annuals. People traveled from miles around to see her yard and flowers.
She loved to curl and competed in the senior’s bonspiels on a competitive team and was a member of the local curling club. She enjoyed hunting and fishing, and in her later years she took an interest in golfing. Peggy also loved playing cards and games of any kind, usually following one of her delicious turkey meals.
Peggy enjoyed traveling and seeing new places. With her family, they visited places like Vancouver Island, Penticton, Spokane Worlds Fair, Jasper, and Banff. After retirement, Peggy traveled with her sister, Dorothy, to many places, including Costa Rica, England, Ireland, Scotland, a Caribbean cruise, Branson, and the Maritimes. Peggy had another passion; she loved to walk around the grounds at the Calgary Stampede, never missing a year. Heritage Park was also very special to her as it brought back many special childhood memories for her.
Peggy is survived by her children Lee (Bill) and Jim (Deb); four grandchildren Janel (Simon), Jared (Melissa), Joel (Carly), and Ike; and six great-grandchildren Jonas, Madex, Lennox, Kaydence, Kallen, and Jay; and a very special sister Dorothy Yule.
She was predeceased by her husband Bunk in 1982; and son Bill in 1989.
A private family service will be held at a later date.
Donations in Peggy’s memory can be made to the Oyen & District Health Care Foundation, Box 150, Oyen, Alberta, T0J 2J0; or St. Andrews Anglican Church, Box 39, Gleichen, Alberta, T0J 1N0.
MacLeans Funeral Home in care of arrangements.