Irene Edna (Scheel) Hayden

Irene Edna (Scheel) Hayden passed away October 14, 2003, in Villa Maria Nursing Home where she had been a resident for the past seven years with Alzheimer?s Disease. Hospice care was recently put into place. She was born to Hermann & Henriette Scheel on October 6, 1920, at home in rural Thompson, ND. Irene was one of eight children whose family homesteaded their land. She received a Certificate of Recognition from the State of North Dakota Centennial Commission, as one of their Sons and Daughters of the Pioneers and was very proud of her North Dakota heritage. Irene attended a one-room school in Buxton, ND, that taught grades one through eight. In later years, she completed her GED certificate. After loosing their farm in the early 1940?s, the family moved to East Grand Forks, MN. She worked at various jobs, met and married Jim Peppard and lived in Grand Forks until moving to Fargo in 1959. While raising her family in Fargo, Irene worked for the Great Northern Railroad at their lunch counter, St. Luke?s Hospital in Central Supply, Silver Line Boats, Moorhead, MN, and Steiger Tractor, Inc., Fargo, ND. Irene was one of the first women to work on the assembly line for Steiger; she was active member in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Union during her years at Steiger. After retiring from Steiger at age 65, she worked part-time for the NDSU Plant Pathology Department in the greenhouse. She loved plants, crafts and dancing the polka! She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW Post 1223, Moorhead, MN and 1st Lutheran Church, Fargo. Irene was married and divorced twice; James A. Peppard, Sr. and Palmer Hayden. She is survived by her five children: Ben Peppard, New Glarus, WI; James Peppard, Minnesota; Mary Jo Yales, Woodstock, GA; Bill Peppard, Goodlettsville, TN; and Tim Peppard, Cooper City, FL and their respective spouses; her eight beloved grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister: Genevieve Salaba, Fargo, ND; sister-in-law, Dolores Scheel, West Fargo; brother-in-law, Ray Brusegaard, Grand Forks, ND; cousins and numerous nieces and nephews scattered throughout the United States. In 1986, Irene filed the necessary papers to bequeath her body to the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, in an unselfish act to further medical research and teaching. The family has chosen to hold a Memorial Service to honor her on Saturday, October 25, 2003 at 11:00 a.m., at Boulger Funeral Home, 123 S. 10th Street, Fargo, ND 58103, (701)237.6441, Pastor Stadum of First Lutheran Church will officiated at the service. Please direct donations to: Villa Maria Nursing Home, 3102 S. University Drive, Fargo, ND 58103 (701) 293.7750, Attn: Sue Grove, CEO Hospice ? Red River Valley, 1701 38th Street S.W., Suite 201, Fargo, ND 58103-4499, (701)356.1500 Alzheimer?s Association, Minnesota-Dakotas Chapter, 4550 West 77th Street, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55435, (800)232.0851 First Lutheran Church, 619 Broadway, Fargo, ND 58102, (701)235.7389 The family wishes to extend their external gratitude for the compassionate care, exemplary professionalism, love and blessings that were shown to our Mother through the years she spent at the Villa Maria Nursing Home. Thank you to Hospice ? Red River Valley, and numerous family and friends who were always there for all of us!