Peggy Ann Schick | The Nome Nugget

Peggy Ann Schick, devoted mother, grandmother, beloved and loyal friend and resident of Juneau, Alaska, died on May 21, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska, from complications of ovarian cancer. She was 66 years old.

Peggy was born on December 3, 1952, the daughter of Robert “Bob” and the late Ilene “Ike” Schick, the eldest of what would become five children raised in Nome, Alaska.

She graduated from Nome-Beltz High School in 1971 and married Mark Leonard in 1972. After their divorce in 1978, Peggy moved with her two children to Juneau, Alaska, and worked for the State of Alaska for a time. She then moved with her daughters to Oregon and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics. Returning to Juneau, Peggy began working for REACH in 1988, beginning a 28-year career dedicated to helping people with developmental disabilities lead meaningful, productive, and caring lives in the communities of their choice. She retired from REACH in 2016.

Peggy embraced life in all its facets. Her sense of humor made everyone laugh. She loved her family and adored her friends. She enjoyed fishing, good food, campfires, classic literature, traveling, snow machine racing, fast cars, technology, and music. She had an analytical approach to almost every problem and never hesitated to share her opinion.

When she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015, after losing her youngest sister to breast cancer in 2005 and her only other sister to ovarian cancer in 2015, Peggy applied the same analytical mindset to everything that came her way on her treatment path. She made spreadsheets and lists, diligently checking every box.

Peggy was preceded in death by her sister Janet Breeden, her mother Ike Schick and her sister Barb Earp.

She is survived by her father Bob Schick, her brothers Michael “Mike” and Louis “Louie” Schick, her daughters Deborah “Debbie” VanSlyke and Antonia “Toni” Leonard, her grandchildren Zane Henricksen, Sara and Kurtis Lee, Timothy “Junior” Hagan, Amanda and Charles “Chaz” Vanslyke. She is also survived by many other family members and friends.

A celebration of life will be held on August 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM at Granny’s Camp in Dexter in Nome, Alaska.