Margaret "Peg" Scheffler

Margaret "Peg" Scheffler, 81, died March 4, 2006 in an auto accident near her home by Bull Lake.

She was born Margaret Valois Cobbledick on March 1, 1925 in Troy to James and Martha Bingham Cobbledick. She grew up there and was a graduate of Troy High School.

She met Ed Scheffler following his return from his enlistment in the Navy. She married Edmund Burton Scheffler on November 16, 1946.

Shortly after they married, Ed enlisted in the Army. Peg supported Ed as he served for 17 years. Their children were born and raised in all the varied places his service and later civil service took them, including Vancouver, Wash.; Fort Bliss, Texas; Richland, Wash.; Reardon, Wash.; Noxon, Milwaukee, Wis.; Anchorage, Alaska; Spokane, Wash.; and Florence. She was very proud of his service to the U.S., and that of her son Bill and several grandsons. When Ed left the service they moved back to Montana and eventually to Troy into a home they built together. She worked for many years in the Troy area as a mail carrier.

Peg was passionately devoted to many things, most notably her large family, and enjoying life in Montana. When they were living elsewhere, she was known for saying "to hell with housework, let's go to Montana!" She loved to fish, and pick huckleberries and mushrooms. She and Ed bowled in a league, and loved to play cards. She enjoyed doing many crafts, including ceramics, crocheting, and sewing, especially for her grandchildren. She was an avid reader, particularly of romance novels.

In more recent years, Peg and Ed enjoyed spending time with their many friends at nearby casinos. She always loved music, especially dancing to 1940's big band, and believed that everyone should learn to learn some form of something. She instilled in her family the belief that prejudice and discrimination were a terrible injustice, and lived that out even in a time when doing so was unpopular and even dangerous. She was proud to see her children reflect those same values.

Perhaps her most lasting legacy to her family is the firm belief that any of us can accomplish anything if we really want to. She will be missed.

She is survived by her husband Ed Scheffler; their eight children: Mike Evans and wife Jane of Libby; Patrick Scheffler of Anchorage, Alaska; George Scheffler of Troy; William Scheffler and wife Yvonne of Rota, Spain; Irene Corley of St. Albans, W.V.; Martha Odegard and husband Neil of Troy; Linda Sue Hays and husband Jerry of Troy; and Mavis Vaillancourt of Florence; and her sister Gloria Fruin and husband Ralph of Kent, Wash. She and Ed have numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Her two sisters Mavis and Ann, and her brother Dean preceded her in death.

Viewing will be at Nelson and Vial Funeral Home, 422 W. 2 in Libby on Friday, March 10, from 1-6 p.m. A graveside service will be held on Saturday, March 11, at the Milnor Lake Cemetery at 3 p.m. with LDS Branch President Stewart Briskin officiating.

Immediately following the service there will be a gathering to celebrate her life at the Morrison Elementary School, 501 E. Kalispell, in Troy.