HR0379 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0379 LRB102 18801 MST 27502 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Margaret S. "Peggy" Knoepfle of Springfield, who passed away on May 23, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was born in Denver, Colorado to James and Agnes (Close) Sower on October 30, 1934; her father's engineering career took them to several places, including Lima, Peru, where as a teenager she attended college and fell in love with Latin American culture; her family then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio; she married John Knoepfle on December 26, 1956, and they moved to St. Louis; they eventually settled in Auburn; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle earned her bachelor's degree at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and her master's degree in communications from Sangamon State University in Springfield, all while raising four children and supporting her husband's academic endeavors; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was employed as an associative editor at Illinois Issues; she was a lifelong Democrat and published the book After Alinsky: Community Organizing in Illinois, which includes an interview with the future president, Barack Obama; she and her dear friend, Rosie Richmond, also produced a public access television series, Works and Progress; she was an avid writer and co-founded Brainchild Writers, a women's writing collective; her poems have been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was a member of Witness for Peace, which included missionary trips to Nicaragua and one trip to Columbia and Cuba; she was chair of the Marywood branch of the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom; she co-founded the Auburn Food Pantry in Auburn and participated in the conservation of Revis Prairie; she advocated for the Hutchen's Creek Wilderness area in southern Illinois and managed a fair-trade retail store; her work as an activist included participating in numerous peaceful demonstrations for human rights in Washington D.C, Miami, Decatur, Chicago, and Springfield; she was an avid philanthropist and donated to numerous charities and sponsored many foster children; she volunteered countless hours helping the homeless and vulnerable in Springfield; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle's honors include the 1997 National Home Time Video Award: Journey to Nicaragua, 2002 Springfield YWCA Women of Excellence Honorable Mention, and 2003 Humanitarian of the Year Greater Springfield Interfaith Association; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was an active member in Springfield at St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle enjoyed taking road trips throughout Illinois with her family and had a great adventure to Alaska in 2021; she was brilliant, creative, and passionate about her causes, advocating for human rights, peace, freedom, equality for all, and nature conservation; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, John Knoepfle; and her infant son, James Girard Knoepfle; and

WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle is survived by her sons, John M., David (Robin), and Christopher B. Knoepfle; her daughter, Molly (Rodney) Evans; her grandchildren, Emily Evans, Austin Dowis, Molly Knoepfle, and Hannah Knoepfle; her brother, Jim Sower; her sisters, Elinor Petuskey and Molly Sugarman; and numerous nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Margaret S. "Peggy" Knoepfle and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Peggy Knoepfle as an expression of our deepest sympathy.