Peggy Sue (Eads) Dilling, 83, passed away at 10:37 pm on April 23, 2023, at Peabody Retirement Community, where she had been a resident since October 2022. She was born on February 26, 1940 to James Cecil and Alta Ferne (Lynch) Eads. Due to complications, her mother Ferne passed away several days later. Peggy Sue was cared for by her father, Jim, Grandma Grace Lynch, Grandma Ruth Eads and her aunts, Dorthea, Burneda and Mary until Jim married Mildred P. Montel on March 30, 1941.
She was a 1958 graduate of Urbana High School and married her High School sweetheart, Chad Hugh Dilling on January 2, 1960, at the Ijamsvlle United Methodist Church. She was a member of the Wabash First United Methodist Church and loved attending the Red Hat Society.
Peggy was a farmer’s wife, and as she would say, she just wanted to be a mom, but as always, to help make ends meet, she also worked outside the home. She was employed by Hoover Egg Farm, both Chad and Peggy worked at Dr Robert LaSalle’s Egg Farm and then in the 70’s the whole family worked for Strauss Feed taking care of Gamma Egg House. She also worked at the Heckman Bindery and her longest employment was with Timbercrest Retirement Home as a cook. It is through her work with Timbercrest, she would meet her best friend Debbie Fruitt and they would start PDF catering. It was nothing for Peggy, Chad, Deb and Dan to cater for the Timbercrest residents several times a month. Their friendship grew and they even went on a cruise together with Spike and the Bulldogs, a favorite group Chad and her loved to dance to.
But most of all she loved her family, attending all their athletic events, 4-H shows, band and choir concerts, helping whenever and wherever she was needed, traveling out of state to see Kent’s family and enjoying as the family grew. Peggy’s life would change forever when Chad passed away on May 4, 2018. Chad’s health had declined, and she had cared for him for several years, and she was lost without him. She would find comfort in her family and friends and started attending different churches to help her through, finally finding what she was looking for in Wabash First United Methodist Church.
Peggy Sue was loved by all that knew her and she will be missed greatly by her many friends and family, Katrina (Tim) Shoemaker, N. Manchester; Kent (Natalie) Dilling, Wabash; Pam (Chris) Hann, N. Manchester; grandchildren, Erica (Kurt) Snyder, Roann; Katie (Will Jacobs) Dilling, Ft. Wayne; Travis (Mandi) Dilling, Omaha, NE; Sarah (Austin) Carrothers, N. Manchester; Marx (Christina Baucco) Shoemaker, Indianapolis; Tye (Tyler) Borsa, Osceola; Sam (Amanda) Hann, Wabash; Kody (Lee) Shepherd, Wabash; and Baylee (Michael Schlemmer) Shoemaker, Peru; great grandchildren, Nick (Alyssa), Avery, Asia, Jayden, Allis, Wyatt, Arthur, Easton, Simeon, Ezra, Leo, Natalie, Vera, Dale, Ollie and Cora; great great grandchild, Everly; her brother, Ron (Lana Fairchild) Eads, Lagro; her sister-in-law, Susan Trowbridge and many very special nephews, nieces and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Chad; brothers, Harold Teeter and Tom Eads, and great grandson Micah Carrothers.
A special thank you to all the Caregivers and staff at Peabody Retirement Community for the wonderful care she received, her good friend, Carrie Pennington for coming each week to fix her hair, and all the relatives and friends that visited and sent cards, her table was always full and she knew she was loved. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Grandstaff Hentgen Funeral Service is handling the arrangements.
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