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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Margaret
4S. "Peggy" Knoepfle of Springfield, who passed away on May 23,
52021; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was born in Denver, Colorado to
7James and Agnes (Close) Sower on October 30, 1934; her
8father's engineering career took them to several places,
9including Lima, Peru, where as a teenager she attended college
10and fell in love with Latin American culture; her family then
11moved to Cincinnati, Ohio; she married John Knoepfle on
12December 26, 1956, and they moved to St. Louis; they
13eventually settled in Auburn; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle earned her bachelor's degree at
15Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and her master's
16degree in communications from Sangamon State University in
17Springfield, all while raising four children and supporting
18her husband's academic endeavors; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was employed as an associative
20editor at Illinois Issues; she was a lifelong Democrat and
21published the book After Alinsky: Community Organizing in
22Illinois, which includes an interview with the future

 

 

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1president, Barack Obama; she and her dear friend, Rosie
2Richmond, also produced a public access television series,
3Works and Progress; she was an avid writer and co-founded
4Brainchild Writers, a women's writing collective; her poems
5have been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was a member of Witness for Peace,
8which included missionary trips to Nicaragua and one trip to
9Columbia and Cuba; she was chair of the Marywood branch of the
10Women's International League of Peace and Freedom; she
11co-founded the Auburn Food Pantry in Auburn and participated
12in the conservation of Revis Prairie; she advocated for the
13Hutchen's Creek Wilderness area in southern Illinois and
14managed a fair-trade retail store; her work as an activist
15included participating in numerous peaceful demonstrations for
16human rights in Washington D.C, Miami, Decatur, Chicago, and
17Springfield; she was an avid philanthropist and donated to
18numerous charities and sponsored many foster children; she
19volunteered countless hours helping the homeless and
20vulnerable in Springfield; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle's honors include the 1997 National
22Home Time Video Award: Journey to Nicaragua, 2002 Springfield
23YWCA Women of Excellence Honorable Mention, and 2003
24Humanitarian of the Year Greater Springfield Interfaith

 

 

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1Association; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was an active member in
3Springfield at St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Abraham
4Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle enjoyed taking road trips
6throughout Illinois with her family and had a great adventure
7to Alaska in 2021; she was brilliant, creative, and passionate
8about her causes, advocating for human rights, peace, freedom,
9equality for all, and nature conservation; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle was preceded in death by her
11parents; her husband, John Knoepfle; and her infant son, James
12Girard Knoepfle; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Peggy Knoepfle is survived by her sons, John M.,
14David (Robin), and Christopher B. Knoepfle; her daughter,
15Molly (Rodney) Evans; her grandchildren, Emily Evans, Austin
16Dowis, Molly Knoepfle, and Hannah Knoepfle; her brother, Jim
17Sower; her sisters, Elinor Petuskey and Molly Sugarman; and
18numerous nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we mourn the passing of Margaret S. "Peggy" Knoepfle and

 

 

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1extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all
2who knew and loved her; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to the family of Peggy Knoepfle as an expression of
5our deepest sympathy.