Alice M. "Peggy" Jensen

Alice Margaret “Peggy” Jensen, age 101, of Lake Preston, passed away peacefully at the Good Samaritan Center in De Smet, SD, on January 10, 2025. Funeral Services for Alice “Peggy” Jensen will be on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 10:30 AM, at the UCC Church in Lake Preston. Music will be provided by Alex Eykamp as organist and Collette Stewart as soloist.

Visitation will be held Monday, January 20, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel in Arlington. 

Interment will be at the East Bethania Cemetery in rural Erwin, SD. Pallbearers will be Brandon Montross, Josh Steffensen, Jared Steffensen, Tony Jensen, Mark Jensen, Jordan Norgaard, and Lane Jensen. 

Peggy was born to Jodey and Elise (Smith) Hodges on June 13, 1923, on the family farm, and grew up on that same farm north of Erwin, SD. She was the youngest of 4 daughters which include Mildred, Roselyn, and Lucille. She graduated from Erwin High School in 1942. She was very active in class plays and cheerleading. She helped her dad farm with horses for many years.

She married Hubert Jensen on May 18, 1947, and they were blessed with 4 children Janice, JoAnn, James and Jean. Besides their own 4 children, they also provided a loving home for many years for Hubert’s half-brother, Keith Jensen of Brookings, SD; Peggy’s nephew Leland Hooper (deceased); her niece Karen Graff of Castle Rock, CO; and Hubert’s cousin Charlotte (Olson) Smith (deceased).

Peggy taught herself to cook, sew, knit and can. She was active in her church ladies aid, holding many leadership roles. She also enjoyed her Excelsior and neighborhood clubs but most of all her 4-H Club “The Busy Blue Bells” which she named. She was their leader for many years and taught her daughters and granddaughters to sew along with many others. She enjoyed knitting and gifting each grandchild with a beautiful afghan and sewing several “quillow’s” for them. She also enjoyed playing cards, fixing puzzles, doing ceramics and dancing.

In 1979 they started spending time in Arizona, but come spring, they would return home so Hubert could continue to assist their son, Jim, on the family farm until his death in 2002.

Peggy will be deeply missed by her children, Janice and Ron Montross of Ft. Collins, CO; JoAnn Steffensen of Hetland, SD; James and Paula Jensen of Lake Preston, SD; and Jean and Jim Eykamp of Oldham, SD; her brother-in-law Keith and Cherie of Brookings, SD; niece Karen and Rick Graff of Castle Rock, CO; 10 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great-grandchildren, and many other nephews, nieces, and friends.

Peggy was preceded in death by her husband, Hubert; parents, Jodey and Elsie Hodges; sisters, Mildred Thonvold, Roselyn Hooper, and Lucille Nelson; son-in-law Duane Steffensen and great-granddaughter, Sara Jensen.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Crawford-Osthus Funeral Chapel of Lake Preston, Arlington, Oldham.

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