Margaret “Peggy” White of Westside, Iowa
Mass of the Christian burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at St. Lawrence Church in Carroll with Fr. Allan Reicks as celebrant. Other participating clergy will be Fr. Timothy Schott and Fr. Brian Feller. Mass Servers will be Melinda and Myli Schaefer. Gift Bearers will be Nancy Macke, Teresa Horbach, and Lynn Wittrock. Lectors for the mass will be her friends Peg Scheidt and Trish Roberts. Honorary Pallbearers will be Richie Owens, Brian McKernan, Danny Owens, David McKernan, Lyle Rossiter and Joe Rossiter. A luncheon will be served in Collison Hall immediately following the mass. A private burial will be held at St. Ann’s Cemetery in Vail.
Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27th at St. Lawrence Church with a wake service held at 6:30 p.m. Additional visitation will be held at the church on Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to St. Anthony Hospital Pastoral Care Program.
Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll, and online condolences may be left for Peggy’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com.
Peggy was born June 9, 1953 and was the daughter of Michael and Margaret “Pat” (Smith) McKernan. She grew up in South Omaha under the watchful eye of her best friends, her sister Patricia and her brother, Mick. Peggy graduated from Archbishop Ryan Memorial High School and went on to be an office manager at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She was married to her loving husband, Jim White on March 27, 1987 in St. John’s Catholic Church at Creighton University. They then began their life together in Carroll, Iowa.
They raised two children, Matt and Maureen. Peggy was both of her kids’ biggest cheerleaders, spending many hours on the bleachers at the baseball field and following happily along during the cold, windy spring golf season. Peggy’s life in Carroll was marked by her commitment to community service. She was honored to be elected to the Carroll city council in 1999 and served until 2007 when she and Jim made the move to the White Century Farm in Westside, Iowa. Peggy was the chairperson of many major fundraisers for Kuemper Catholic School System and St. Anthony Hospital. A great pleasure in her life was serving on the St. Anthony Hospital Board of Directors (2013-present), St. Anthony Foundation (2014-present) and becoming a founding member of the St. Anthony Ministries as a juridic person in 2018. Embracing Franciscan spirituality and governing with that as a directive gave her tremendous pride in St. Anthony Hospital and the people that work there. She further served as a director of the Westside State Bank and head of the “party planning committee”.
Along with her children, Peggy welcomed their spouses to the family with open arms. She loved Jenna and Bill with all of her heart. Peggy has had many titles, but there is no doubt that her favorite was “Grammy”. Being the best Grammy to Benicio, Giada, Liam and Mara was her top priority. Peggy loved to travel, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and host dinner parties. She was a friend to all and will be missed by many.
She is survived by her husband, Jim White; children: Matt (Jenna) and Maureen (Bill); grandchildren: Benicio, Giada, Liam and Mara; brother Mick (Shiella) McKernan, her sister Patricia (Rich) Owens, sister-in-law Colleen (Lyle) Rossiter, special friend Bridget (Quandt) Blevins, nephews, nieces, and her beloved cocker spaniel companions, Sadie and Paddy. She is preceded to death by her parents, Pat and Mike McKernan, her mother and father in-law Joe and Helen White and her sister-in-law Ann Nelson.
