Peggy Hooker

Peggy J. Hooker was an honest and straightforward woman, who lived her life as an example of a loving mother and devoted grandmother. Whether working in her garden, playing the slot machines at Soaring Eagle or enjoying time with her children and grandchildren, her life was full of blessings.

America was entering the third decade of the still young 20th century. After the prosperity of the Roaring 20s, tensions were beginning to mount in Japan and Nazi Germany, setting the stage for the beginning of World War II. In New York, the Empire State Building opened to the public. Billed as the tallest building in the world at the time, it is still to this day recognized as one of the most famous skyscrapers in the world. For Louis and Marina (Hardesty) Kaminski, life in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was filled with days of delight. On March 31, 1931, they welcomed the birth of their daughter, Peggy. She was the third of five children – Richard, Louis, Peggy, Eleanor and Marylou.

The devastation of the Great Depression left no one unaffected, including the Kaminski family. Often money was scarce and young Peggy would walk the railroad yards in hopes of finding cast off coal to take back to heat the family home, but was usually chased off by railroad workers. During her growing up years, Peggy remembered the family moving quite often and usually it was grandpa’s still in the basement for making moonshine that got them evicted. She attended the Godfrey Lee schools until the ninth grade, and then opted to look for employment in order the help the family financially. Her first job was as a picker in the area orchards, before working at Sackner Products on the linefor eight years. She then took a job at Advanced Plating where she stayed for about ten years.

At 18, Peggy’s life took a new direction when she met Robert Hooker while on a blind date. Over the next year, their love for each other blossomed and they were married on June 5, 1953, in the Remembrance Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. The happy couple spent the next thirty-five years together, raising their four children, Sandy, Kathy, Jerry and Debbie, and sharing many precious events. Her loss was great at Robert’s passing in 1988.

A diligent worker, Peggy was not one to shy away from hard work. She was always fond of her flower and vegetable garden and never considered taking care of it a chore. Much of the bounty from the garden was canned on the wood-burning stove to feed the family throughout the year. Her children remember their mother as a hard worker, who was very strict and instilled them with many good values. Peggy was a very simple, down to earth kind of woman. From washing the clothes on the old ringer washer, keeping the wood furnace stoked up to warm the house and whenever a storm was present, took everyone to the basement, especially after that terrible Palm Sunday tornado. She enjoyed time spent together as a family, such as their annual trip to Uncle Roy’s in Rexton, Michigan or excursions to the Upper Peninsula. In later years, one of her favorite places to visit was the casinos, particularly at Soaring Eagle in Mt. Pleasant.

Peggy had many interests to keep her busy. She enjoyed knitting, sewing, crocheting and making afghans. Peggy also incorporated music into her life by playing the piano or perhaps listening to a good polka and country music. When relaxing, she liked to catch an old western with John Wayne or keep up on her soap operas, especially “Days of our Lives.” One of her favorite foods was goulash; she enjoyed eating it as well as making it.

Family was the cornerstone of Peggy’s life and her children were the greatest gift this side of heaven. She cherished her collage of pictures of her children and much loved grandchildren, who she treasured so deeply in her heart.

Peggy J. Hooker passed away on Tuesday, May 18, 2004. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Hooker, in 1988. Surviving are her children: Sandy Pike of TN, Kathy and Ed Kwiatkowski of Grand Rapids, Jerry and Phyllis Hooker of Allendale, and Debbie and Thomas Sampier of Howard City; grandchildren: Kim, David, Mike, Molly and Cody; four great grandchildren; her sister, Eleanor and Milton Sieting; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 20, at 11 a.m. at the Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. N.W. with interment in Rosedale Memorial Park. Friends may meet the family on Wednesday, May 19, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. To read Peggy’s life story, share a memory with her family, order flowers online or make a memorial contribution to the Hospice of West Michigan, please visit her personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com. A Heritage Lifestory Funeral Home

Although she will be deeply missed, Peggy’s legacy of love and dedication leaves her loved ones with treasured memories and a strong foundation to look to for comfort.