Peggy Elaine Smith Tueller Obituary (1930 - 2020)

Our beloved mother and grandmother passed away on March 21, 2020, in Millcreek, Utah. She was born April 26, 1930, in Delta, Utah, to James Phelan and Madge Winsor Smith. She married her sweetheart, Wilford Earnest Tueller, September 4, 1947; and they were inseparable until the day he died, October 21, 2013. They were married for 66 years. Peggy had four children: Gary, Dennis, Diane and Judy. She was a mother figure to her brothers, sisters and many of the children that she babysat over the years. Peggy and Wilf were resourceful people and built the family home together. They were very proud of their house and often told stories about how they built their home before the roads surrounded it. Peggy worked for many years in the Salt Lake City Schools as a nurse’s aide. She worked with the staff setting up vision, hearing and scoliosis tests. Often her care involved going to the home of the child and speaking with parents. She always tried her best to make the child feel comforted and often brought small treats along. Peggy enjoyed painting, gardening, sewing, thrift shopping and genealogy. Peg and Wilf loved to go for long car rides, enjoy a meal at a hole-in-the-wall diner and go thrift shopping. Many of her thrift shop treasures gained a new life after she was done with them. She would take weeks sometimes, sprucing a certain item up before it was just right to come into the home. I asked her once why she liked thrift shopping so much. She told me, “When I was a little girl, I wanted to have a beautiful home, decorate it, and not spend very much money.” Genealogy is where, in her later years, Peggy really got involved. She belonged to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She would spend hours at her desk, writing, researching and documenting as many family members as she could. If you came into her office while she was in the middle of one such document, you were not leaving until she had told you a couple of stories at least about the person she was researching. Peggy was the compassionate care coordinator for her ward. She did this calling for many years and took it very seriously. She always made sure that every funeral had plenty of food, every new mother was looked in on, and any neighbor that just needed a little extra care was looked after. Peggy was talented in so many other ways, there simply wasn’t room left for cooking. Some of her meals are the stuff of legends, often taking substitution lists to the extreme. Peg and Wilf’s treasure was and is their family. They loved their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren so much. It was evident in their home with floor to ceiling pictures of every accomplishment that all of their children had made. It was in how she always teared up when holding a new babe for the first time. It was in how she would give you a hug before leaving, kiss your neck and say, “I love your guts.” She is survived by her children: Gary (Marilyn) Tueller, Dennis (Susan) Tueller, Diane (Roy) Angus, Judy (Mark) Jackson; 10 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, and 4 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, her son-in law Roy Angus, and great granddaughter Tabatha. The family would like to thank all of the wonderful hospice staff that took such loving care of her. A private family graveside service will be held at this time due to public health regulations, and a celebration of life will be held at a later date (TBD).