Margaret Mary Schnell

Peggy was born the fourth of four siblings on September 6, 1957 in St. Paul, Minnesota and passed away on November 3 in Coeur d’Alene following a seizure and fall. She was beloved by family, colleagues, and fellow parishioners at St. George’s church in Post Falls.

Peggy grew up in Minnesota. Family remember her as kind, gentle, and generous. She played piano. She enjoyed summers at Fish Trap Lake, Lake Alexander, and Lower Cullen Lake, swimming and walking to town for ice cream with her siblings and cousins. The daughter of a Spanish teacher, Peggy got her first job at Murphy’s department store to save up for a trip to Spain in high school. She attended Marquette University in Milwaukee.

After college Peggy moved to Seattle and worked for Group Health. Having grown up in the flatlands, she found she enjoyed hiking in the Pacific Northwest mountains. On a hike outside Seattle in 1985, she met James Fenton. Jim and Peggy married on August 29, 1987 in St. Paul. Together they had two sons, George and Hugh, moved to North Idaho, and in 2017 celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary. Jim passed away in 2018.

Peggy worked at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center and in 2008 obtained a Master’s Degree in Adult Education from the University of Idaho. She was passionate about philanthropy and after retiring from N.I.C. joined the Women’s Gift Alliance, a group of women who raise and pool resources for local worthy causes. Peggy also volunteered at the St. George’s Mission of Charity.

Three of her loves outside work and family were gardening, birdwatching, and reading. She planted a magnificent home garden, and she was a member of the River City Gardeners Club. She fed the sparrows and chickadees and kept a pair of binoculars in the kitchen to watch the quail and hawks in the backyard. She was a member of the Audubon Society. She worked briefly at the Post Falls Public Library, and she read avidly, including the daily paper, Louise Penny mysteries, and books on Catholic theology.

Peggy is survived by her two sons, George and Hugh (Kyle), three siblings, Tom (Sue), Steve (Mary), and Kathy (Gene), and nine nieces and nephews. A funeral service to celebrate Peggy’s life will be held at St. George’s Church, 2010 N. Lucas St. in Post Falls, at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 20. A lunch reception will follow at the church. English Funeral Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements and will hold a wake from 2 to 5 pm on Thursday, November 19, at 1700 N. Spokane St. in Post Falls.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to a charity or cause that was meaningful to Peggy. These include St. Vincent de Paul of North Idaho, the Companion Animal Center in Post Falls, the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory in St. Paul, and the Post Falls High School music programs.