Margaret "Peggy" Jester

Margaret (Peggy) Jester of Urbandale, IA passed away peacefully at home on July 18, 2018. She was born February 26, 1937 in Des Moines, IA, the oldest child of Mary and Wayne Smedes. She attended North High School and graduated from Roosevelt High School. She earned her undergraduate degree at The University of Colorado, and later in life received a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Drake University. After college, Peggy worked as a commercial artist for Younkers Department Store and the New Utica. During this time, Peggy met her husband Joe on a blind date. Two years later they were married and enjoyed 55 wonderful years together.

Peggy was a beautiful and multi-talented woman. She was an accomplished artist and printmaker, a teacher at the Des Moines Art Center, and an art collector. Her paintings and other pieces were exhibited in many group and one-person exhibitions in Des Moines. Many of her works are held in corporate and private collections in the Midwest.

Peggy was a very active person - she played tennis, was a strong swimmer and rode her bicycle on three RAGBRAIs. She sang in a folk music group when she was young. She was active in many community organizations including The Des Moines Founders Garden Club, The Grant Wood Questers, the Junior League, and also served as the President of the Drake Neighborhood Association. She was a proponent of historic preservation and worked on several local projects. She loved all aspects of being a homemaker, especially restoration, decorating, vegetable and flower gardening, and cooking. The Jesters had a cabin on Lake Hubert in northern Minnesota for 25 years. Peggy and her family and friends spent many happy summer vacations there.

She is survived by Joe, her children Mary Ann Parks (Kevin) of Hinsdale, IL; John of Washington, DC; and Tom (Lee Anne) of Kansas City, MO; as well as her 5 grandchildren, Jessica, George, and Margaret Parks and Jake and Aspen Jester. She also leaves behind two sisters, Mary Ann Turner of San Jose, CA and Cathy White of West Des Moines; and many nieces and nephews. She will be dearly missed by all those that knew her and loved her.

Thank you to Angela Browder of Angela Browder Home Care, LLC and her wonderful caregivers who provided Peggy with loving and compassionate care.

Visitation will be held on Monday, July 23, 2018 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines. A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, July 24, at 10:30 am at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7075 Ashworth Road in West Des Moines with a private burial following at Glendale Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to The Des Moines Art Center or Friends of Drake Arts (FDA). Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

Print