- Date Of Birth: November 1, 1931
- Date Of Death: November 17, 2017
- State: Idaho
Pietje Margariet (Peggy) Veenstra Dean peacefully passed on November 17, 2017. She was born on November 1, 1931 in Chino, California to Dutch immigrants, John and Margaret Veenstra. She was raised on a cash and carry dairy along with her older brother John Veenstra and younger brother Dirk Veenstra. She graduated from Chino High School in 1949.
On October 8, 1950 she married Efton Dean. To this union, they had four children: John, David, Diane, and Laurie. In 1963, the family moved to Emmett, Idaho to continue with the Veenstra family ranching operation. She and Efton were divorced in later years.
Peggy was many things in her life. She was a mother, grandmother, honorary grandmother, excellent cook, seamstress, rock hunter, adventure seeker, traveler, proud Dutch girl, #1 Boise State football fan, and amateur comedian.
She worked at Western Recycling as an office manager/owner for 25 plus years. She was a hardworking and devoted employee that was loved by fellow employees and customers alike.
She had an adventurous and inquisitive soul. She never met a dirt road that was left unexplored. Later in life, she shared this love of exploring through rock hunting with her rock hunting club members and her grandchildren. Often, she would have two rock tumblers operating at the same time polishing the rocks she had found.
She was also an accomplished traveler. She thoroughly enjoyed gambling at yearly high school reunions held in Las Vegas. She also traveled to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe extensively, and enjoyed regular trips to Yellowstone National Park. One of her more recent adventures was traveling to France and the Netherlands with some of her family members. She was able to attend a family reunion where she got to re-connect in person with her many relatives. She seemed whole when she was near all the family whom she kept in touch with through phone calls and letters. She maintained her ability to speak and understand the Fresian language throughout her life.
Her curiosity did not solely manifest in what she did, but also internally. She was a great collector of random facts and information. If she was curious about something, she had to pull the string of knowledge and follow it until she had her answers. She often sent interesting newspaper clippings in the mail to those she felt would enjoy reading them. She loved being in the know and being the first to deliver ground breaking news. This matriarch’s sense of adventure and seeking has rippled through the generations. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have, without exception, inherited her love of learning and exploring.
Peggy enjoyed the sweeter things in life, and just like a good Dutch girl would, found joy in actual sweets, candies, and pastries. She loved her coffee flavored ice cream treats that were supplied to her on a weekly basis. She seemed to prefer these over any other food and blamed it on losing her sense of taste. It was suspected she had grown weary of pretending to like to eat anything besides ice cream.
She was an excellent cook and had the ability to know a good recipe when she read one. Family dinners were always graced with a new recipe she had prepared.
She also was a devout Boise State football fan. She was absolutely thrilled when she got to meet Kellen Moore. She loved going to the games as a #1 Broncos fan.
Peggy always had a twinkle in her eye – like she was on the edge of laughing, telling a joke, or a good-natured scolding. She had comedic timing and an amazing sense of humor. Usually very conservative, she often surprised her family with how funny and open she could be. She was very gifted at making everyone in her life feel like they were her favorite. She never ran out of time to talk to friends, co-workers, or family.
Peggy leaves behind two sons, John (Olivia) Dean of Boise, Idaho; David (Luane) Dean of Meridian, Idaho; and two daughters, Diane (Chuck) Frederick of Meridian, Idaho; and Laurie May of Idaho Falls, Idaho; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Margaret Veenstra, son-in-law Stanley R. May, sister-in-law Alice Veenstra, nephew Dirk Anthony Veenstra, and great-nephew Colton Veenstra.
The family would like to most sincerely thank Keystone Hospice for their wonderful care and support through the last weeks and special thanks to Norm, Kelley, Sarah, and Justina.
