Class of 1946

Peggy Ann (Whitehill) Ostrem
May 20, 1929 – Feb 24, 2020

Peggy Ann Whitehill Ostrem, a resident of Iowa City for 70 years passed away Monday, February 24.

A Memorial Service will be held at 5 pm, Friday, October 1, 2021 at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, 605 Kirkwood Ave., Iowa City, where visitation will begin at 3 pm. A family committal service was held at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Iowa City.

In lieu of flowers, memorials for Peggy may be made to the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) Foundation for Student Reading Programs, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245 or to the ALS Association, 1275 K St, NW, Washington DC, 20005.

Peggy had been a resident of Elgin, Illinois since October 2016, residing at the Sheridan at Tyler Creek. She was born on May 20, 1929 to Herschel and Irene Whitehill of Farragut, Iowa.
Peggy attended The University of Iowa, earning a degree in Education, and later completed a Master’s degree in English. She taught for 26 years in the Iowa City Public Schools, at Central, and then South East Junior High Schools. She had many fond memories of her teaching career and treasured her life-long friendships with her colleagues and many students from those years.

Peggy had a real talent for cooking and entertaining, and was blessed to have many friends and family as her guests. She also loved music, and was very accomplished at playing the piano. She was considered to have exceptional knowledge in the field of language arts, and became a mentor to many who enjoyed success over the years as they excelled in their own careers. She was a member of First United Methodist Church for many decades, and in her final years in Iowa City, had become a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.

Peggy is survived by her two sons, Ted (Bett) of Charleston, Illinois, and John (Denise) of Elgin, Illinois; her grandchildren, Katie (Eric) Holten, Kelly (Tom) Gathman, and her great-grandchildren, Anya and Bruin Holten. She has one brother, Mike (Ann) Whitehill of Surprise, Arizona, and two loving nieces, Shelley (Devin) Rice and Amy (Jeff) Moore of Phoenix, AZ, and several cousins, closest among them, Bill Simmons of Phoenix, Arizona.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Carl T. Ostrem, Jr, who passed in 1994 from ALS. She and her husband enjoyed the company of many wonderful friends and family members over the years. They especially doted on their two granddaughters, who loved spending time with “Boppa and Gram.” Peggy had several very close friends who would travel from Iowa City to Elgin and visit her frequently in her final years.