Margaret E. "Peggy" Heather

Margaret E. “Peggy” Heather, 84, Hays, died Thursday, April 7, 2016 at the Good Samaritan Society in Ellis.

She was born October 17, 1931 in Springer, New Mexico the daughter of Milo Orville and Margaret Sarah (Browne) Chaffee.  On July 24, 1952 she married Donald Smith in Estes Park, Colorado.  He died January 12, 1966.  She later married Jack R. Heather on August 4, 1974 in Hays.  He died July 26, 2011.  She was an elementary school teacher, teaching in Downs and Sanford, Kansas before moving to Hays and teaching fifth grade at Wilson Elementary School.  She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Hays, the United Methodist Women, Daughters of the American Revolution, Ellis County Historical Society, and the Hays Arts Council.  She sang in the church choir for many years and loved to play the piano, paint paintings, do crafts, and paint ceramics.  She enjoyed playing cards, board games, her bridge club, gardening, and her dogs.  She especially loved spending time with her many friends and family and being a teacher. 

Survivors include one son; Stanley Smith of Fairbury, Nebraska, two daughters; Nora Myer and husband Spencer of Sacramento, California and Elizabeth “Betsy” McCreery of Hays, two step daughters; Brooke Adams and husband Dennis of Darby, Montana and Dawn Heather of Ft. Collins, Colorado, two sisters; Catherine Chaffee of League City, Texas and Martha Tompkins and husband Don of Pittsburg, Kansas, a sister in law Dortha Lee Chaffee of Owasso, Oklahoma, fourteen grandchildren; Emily Tyler, Erin Weber, Jennifer Rinard, Sarah Woods, Russell Weber, Heath Walz, Adam Walz, Beth VanVleck, Heather Smith, Christopher Binder, Amber Harvey, Shelby Englert, Meagan Englert, and Jesse Englert, and numerous great grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands Donald and Jack, a daughter Linda Miller, three brothers Russell Chaffee, James Chaffee, and John Chaffee, and two sisters; Elizabeth Fritz and an infant sister Sarah Chaffee.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 am on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at the First United Methodist Church, 305 W. 7th, Hays.  Burial will be at 2:30 pm at the Browns Grove Cemetery in Burdett, Kansas.  Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 7:00 on Monday at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street, and from 9:30 am until service time on Tuesday at the church.  Memorials are suggested in Peggy’s memory to the First United Methodist Church or to the Jack and Peggy Heather Scholarship Fund at Fort Hays State University in care of the Hays Memorial Chapel, 1906 Pine Street, Hays,KS 67601.  Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com