Peggy Willene Dennis (Mansfield)'s Obituary
Peggy Willene (Brown) Dennis was born in Mansfield, Missouri on July, 6 1925 to Henry Oscar “Buster” Brown and Ruth Beatrice (Turner) Brown. She passed away on Monday, October 27 at the age of 89 years, 3 months, and 21 days, at Rocky Ridge Manor in Mansfield. Peggy was a 1946 graduate of Mansfield High School. She married William “Erman” Dennis on December 21, 1941 and to this union four children were born: Lana, twins Janet and Jim, and Cheri.
Peggy was preceded in death by her parents, siblings Joe Brown, Shirley Golding, Dan Brown, and an infant sister Florence Brown; her husband, Erman Dennis, daughter Lana Hefner, and son Jim Dennis.
Peggy is survived by two daughters; Janet Little and her husband Joe of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Cheri Rummens and her husband Steve of Mansfield; fourteen grandchildren Wills Hefner, Lisa Hefner, Geoff Hefner, Sarah Robertson, Todd Little, Tracy Rader, Bridget Gittings, Brittany Dennis, James Dennis and Jeffrey Dennis, Tyler Rummens, Lauren Barnett, Nathan Rummens and Kyle Rummens; nineteen great-grandchildren, a daughter-in- law Jane Dennis and a son-in-law Earl Hefner; sister-in-law Karen Brown and brother-in-law Darryl Golding; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Over the years, Peggy and Erman moved their family from Mansfield to California, then to Kansas City, Kansas where they lived for over twenty years and raised their family. For a short time, Peggy, Erman and Cheri moved back to California for a year before returning to their beloved home town of Mansfield in 1972. Peggy was very involved in the community and served in various capacities in the Order of the Eastern Star, American Legion Auxillary Post 128, Wilder Day Committee, and the Historical Society.
Peggy accepted Christ as a twelve year old girl and was a faithful member of the Mansfield First Baptist Church. She sang in the choir for many years and taught both children and adults in Sunday School. In high school, she excelled in vocal music and earned numerous one ratings on vocal solos. Her classmates told her they expected to see her name in lights on Broadway someday. During World War II she worked in the Defense Plants in California as one of the many “Rosie the Riveters.” She and Erman managed the Mansfield Swimming Pool for many years, and most recently she was the Pleasant Valley Township Collector. Peggy was a trivia buff and loved working crossword puzzles. She was an avid reader and would check out a bag of books every week and read them all. The Mansfield library had a hard time keeping up with her reading habit. She also loved the old classic movies and musicals and spoke often about the Mansfield Movie Theatre where she spent many Saturday afternoons as a girl. She often spoke about seeing Gone With the Wind for .25 cents, an increase from the normal .10 cent cost of admission. She said that day, there was live entertainment while the theatre operator changed the movie reels. Peggy had a deep love of Mansfield and had a vivid memory about people and events. Her family loved listening to her stories of the Mansfield that she grew up in. She loved to bake and there was always some kind of delicious desert at every meal. She was famous for her lemon pies, fudge and fried cinnamon rolls.
Although Peggy experienced much sorrow, pain, and illness in her life, she always managed to come through with strength and a positive outlook. Peggy will be fondly remembered for her quick wit, her funny stories and her delicious cooking. Two things that you may not know about Peggy is that she was probably the most directionally challenged person around and as busy as she was, she never learned to drive a car.
We cherish the memories that we have of her and look forward to the day when we see her again.
What’s your fondest memory of Peggy?
What’s a lesson you learned from Peggy?
Share a story where Peggy's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Peggy you’ll never forget.
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