Peggy Sue Palmer-Johnson

Peggy loved life and especially loved her family and children – Bethany (39) of Wales, U.K., and Matthew (43) of Des Moines. She married Roy Michael Johnson on August 1, 1981, in Marion, Indiana. They moved to Des Moines (Clive), Iowa, from central Indiana in 1991 and found Iowa to be their true ‘home away from home’.

Peggy graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She graduated with a master’s degree in social work from Indiana University in 1982. Peggy loved social work and the ability to help others in times of need. Most of her career was in medical social work, and she worked for Mercy hospitals in Des Moines from 1993 until her retirement in 2010.

Peggy was a person of strong faith and was an active member of Walnut Hills United Methodist Church in Urbandale, Iowa. She was involved in the church with various committees and outreach programs. She loved to cook and prepared Wednesday night meals at the church for many years. She was instrumental in the church kitchen remodel in recent years.

Peggy loved to be an advocate for people in both her professional and personal life. She was her son’s strongest advocate due to his intellectual disabilities and the challenges he confronted with health care, school systems, and social service agencies. She would not take no for an answer and strove to find a compromise and a way forward for people in challenging situations. She was quick to offer advice and consultation to anyone in need of help.

In recent years, Peggy was afflicted with chronic medical conditions that affected her mobility and immune system. She faced these challenges with determined courage, and not unlike her advocacy for others, she was her best and fiercest advocate for herself. She ‘fought the good fight’ until the end.

Peggy is survived by her brother Bill Palmer (Debbie) of Boulder, Colorado, and her sister Brenda Wilkinson (Mike) of New Castle, Indiana. An older sister (Wendy) of Milwaukee, WI, passed away in 1999.

A celebration of life for Peggy Palmer-Johnson will be held at Walnut Hills United Methodist Church on June 27th at 11:00. Following the service, Peggy’s ashes will be scattered at the Walnut Hills memorial garden.

In Peggy’s memory, in place of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Walnut Hills UMC or Special Olympics Iowa.