Marguerite "Peggy" Jahn

Marguerite “Peggy” Jahn passed away peacefully on October 7, 2015 at Seasons Hospice in Christiana Hospital. Born in 1930 into the beautiful Great Lakes area in the small town of Wilmette, just north of Chicago, Illinois, Peggy had an invariable love for animals and at one time, wanted to be a veterinarian. Developing an aptitude for art, she was a four-year art major in high school working in many different mediums including clay, wood, watercolor, oil and silk screening. After marriage to her husband, George (Fred) in 1951, they moved to Wilmington, Delaware when he began his career as a chemical engineer with the DuPont Company. They raised three beautiful daughters. After the family grew and matured, Peggy began to do volunteer work for Tri-State wild bird research and became the first cleaning chairperson for oiled birds. She contributed many hours and years rehabbing wild birds under the guidance of the late Lynn Frink. Additionally Peggy worked for the Delaware Audubon Society as a volunteer for the protection of nesting shore birds on the Delaware state beaches for 7 years, mainly protecting the least terns as well as others such as piping plovers, black skimmers and common terns. An abundance of ospreys were nesting on old duck blinds at Savages Ditch in Delaware and drew her attention for their great size and beauty. In the late seventies, Peggy started carving birds under training from Bill Veasey, a well-known decoy carver in Maryland and became very adept at it. One of the many beautiful birds she carved was a full-size osprey, taking 18 months to complete. After her husband retired, they moved to Maine in 1984 where they both continued their love of the outdoors, fishing, birding and gardening at their home on the Saco River. She sold the osprey and many of her ducks and songbirds at an art gallery in Camden, ME. Peggy and Fred moved back to Delaware in the mid-nineties to be closer to family. She is preceded in death by her husband of nearly 60 years. Peggy is survived by her daughters, Barbara McCauley (Charlie) of Newark DE; Susan Lester (David) of Elkton MD; Catherine Mills (Steve) of Bear DE; 5 grandchildren: Betsy Fallon of Geneva IL, Brandon Lester of Columbia MD, Christin and Sheri Mills of Rehobeth Beach DE and Natalie Cadden of Baltimore MD, 3 great grandchildren, and her beloved dog, Molly. Peggy will be dearly missed by all her family and friends. Special thanks to the staff on the 6th floor stroke ward and Seasons Hospice, Christiana hospital for their kindness and care. A memorial service will be held on Sat., Oct. 17 at 1 pm at the Tree of Life Lutheran Church, 505 Osbourne St., Odessa DE. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Tree of Life Lutheran Church, PO Box 64, Odessa DE 19730-0064.