Margaret Spielbauer

Margaret E. Spielbauer, “Peg” or “Pegster” for those who were especially fond of her, passed away in her cozy home the morning after having her family together to celebrate her 74th birthday.  She was born January 10, 1952 to the late Roman and Colleen (Mackin) Resch of Menasha, Wisconsin.  She married John Spielbauer on April 7th,1973 and lived the rest of her life in Neenah.

Pegster dedicated her life to her family.  She spent the early years of her kid's lives volunteering at school, leading Girl Scouts, serving as a PTO member and attending all of their sporting events and activities. Her three kids were the greatest joy of her life and she never stopped telling them how proud she was. 

Her creative skills were exceptional!  There are watercolor paintings, wood carvings, ornaments and hand made formal dresses to prove it.  She learned calligraphy so she could adorn baptismal gowns for St. Margaret Mary’s and she loved to stay up after bedtime to practice her rosemaling and quilting. 

In 1995 she was involved in a life-altering car accident that resulted in the loss of her independence and ability to pursue many of her passions. Defying every medical prediction, she persevered another 31 years and continued to raise her kids and watch them begin families of their own. Her kids and grandkids are her proudest achievements.

She never lost her sense of humor.  Beavis and Butthead references, bathroom humor and Cards Against Humanity were guaranteed to unleash the real Pegster. Her giggles were unmatched. 

She is survived by her children, Dan Spielbauer (April), Marnie Spielbauer (Jason Rippl), and Molly Lyngaas (Teddy); her grandchildren, Bret, Jake, and William; her granddogs Otis, Indie and Toby ; her siblings, Roger Resch (Nancy) and Janice Resch; her aunt, Nancy Wilkinson; her former spouse but continued friend, John Spielbauer; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her beloved younger brother, Kevin Resch as well as an extensive canine family (Hannah, Haley, Champ, Dude, Enno, Rookie, Ellie, Mars and Darby).   

Thanks to the care from countless caregivers, friends, neighbors and medical professionals, Pegster was able to remain in her home, which was always her final hope. Many in-home caregivers have loved her but her strongest advocates arrived these last few years to see her through and will forever be part of our family, particularly Alicia Kaisler and Shannon Kunde. Thank you for selflessly sharing your time, love and families with Pegster and being her voice when she lost hers. The Spielbauer kids will never have the words to express their eternal gratitude for that very special gift.

A visitation will be held at Westgor Funeral Home in Neenah on January 31st from 10am to noon.  A noon service will be held at Westgor immediately following visitation. 

Peg will be laid to rest in St. Mary Cemetery, Menasha, Wisconsin, at a later date.  

Memorials:

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of your choice in her honor.