Margaret Mary "Peggy" Acker

Acker, {Peggy} Margaret Mary, 80 Years old, went to be with the Lord, on September 27, 2025, after living with Alzheimer's for six years. Peggy was born in Benson, MN to Tharscilla and Frank Acker, who already had 8 boys and 6 girls. Peggy was followed by another girl, making it a family of 16 kids! Each of them was loved and raised in the Catholic faith. With 16 kids, Dad was strict and had chores for everyone, from the young on up. They learned the virtues of love, kindness, thoughtfulness, honesty, and hard work that served them all well throughout their whole lives. They worked hard and played hard, making them happy, fun-loving people to be with. Family was important to all of them! One story about hard work was about the last of 4 farms that they lived on. It had 460 acres, with an old house on it, in Miller, South Dakota. So, before they could move in, Dad brought his sons Art {23}, Al {15}, and Larry{14} to build a new house and also brought his daughter Clara {17} to cook and clean for them. Dad laid out the foundation and started the digging, then he went back to harvesting on the other farm, leaving the boys to dig the basement out using horses. Then they started building the house. Amazing! When they moved in Peggy started elementary school at St. Liborius Catholic School in Polo, S.D. After her Dad died in 1959, her Mother and Mike, Peggy and Maureen moved to South Minneapolis where Peggy attended Central High School and graduated in 1963.

 Now Peggy would expand her horizons. She moved to Ogden, Utah where her sister Clara and Jerry Poland and sister Joan lived, but for just a few months, because there was no job to be had. So, she took a train to Los Angeles, CA where her sister Laura and Tom Barrett lived. She stayed with them for a couple months, until she got a secretarial job, then moved out with another girl. That lasted about a year, until she decided to move back to MN, where she lived with her brother Larry & Pat Acker for a bit. Peggy moved back in with her Mother while attending beauty school for 9 months. She got her hair dresser's license and worked in downtown Minneapolis for a year. Then it was off to Cincinnati, OH with her sister Maureen and a girl from the beauty shop. They shared an apartment with her sister Joan Acker for two years; they had a really good time! In Cincinnati was where she started her retail career. The girls moved back to Minneapolis and Peggy got a job at Donaldson's department store and eventually started her buying career. She worked there from 1968 to 1974. At some point in that time Maureen and her took a break and went to Europe for 6 weeks. It was a trip of a life time, that she said she'd never forget. From 1974 to 1980 she lived in Denver, where her sister Laura & Tom, brother Tom & Mary, brother Larry & Pat, and brother Donny & Dee lived. She worked at Fashion Bar during that time, until there was no further advancement, so she moved back to MN for more job opportunities. Peggy got a job at Powers department store buying handbags, which meant trips to Italy and New York, not bad. In July of 1984 Powers was sold, so she moved to St. Cloud where she worked at Herbergers, buying lingerie. She liked it there, but missed her family and the big city, so she moved back to Minneapolis and worked at Burlington Coat Factory from 1993 to 1999. From there she went to work at BKBM Engineers as a receptionist, until 2002. Her last job was working for Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in the office. Also, from 1997 to 2001 she did prolife work for Prayer Vigil For Life and Rachel's Vineyard Retreats. Her qualities for all the jobs she did, were: Team builder and team player. Self-motivated. Organized. Excellent people skills. Adapts well to a fast-paced work environment. Thrives on change. That speaks volumes to the kind of person she was!

 Peggy never married, but loved her brothers and sisters, many of whom she had lived with or visited, throughout her life. The others siblings lived in Minnesota and one in South Dakota. Peggy loved being from a big family, which provided her with 62 nieces and nephews. She was only 4 years older than her first nephew, which made for many fun family reunions, annual Christmas Parties, and other get togethers, many of which included softball games. 

 Peggy was preceded in death by her parents, Tharscilla and Frank Acker and her siblings: Jean {Dex} Longman, Art Acker, Laura {Tom} Barrett, Barb {Don} Christenson, Catherine Reilly, Harold {Sheila} Acker, Clara {Jerry} Poland, Al {Judy} Acker, Larry Acker, Joan {Mr. Kay} Stephenson, Richard Acker, Tommy {Mary} Acker, Donny Acker, Mike Acker, also nieces and nephews. Peggy is survived by her sister Maureen {Dave} Swartout, sister-in-law Pat Acker, sister-in-law Dee Acker, and her many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and her great-great nieces and nephews.

 The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 7301 Bass Lake Road, New Hope, MN 55428 at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 4, 2025, with visitation one hour prior to Mass. Instead of flowers we would appreciate you donating to Alzheimer's research or any Pro-Life Ministry.