Margaret Peg Backstrom, 99
Margaret (aka Peg/Peggy) Anna (Strege) Backstrom was born at home near Orleans, Minnesota, on Sept. 3, 1925. And she left us from her home in Long Beach, Calif., to be with the Lord on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Her wit, determination, and commitment will be missed by all who knew her.
Peg, daughter of Art and Emma Strege, grew up in the farming community of Kittson County, in northwestern Minnesota, attending high school in nearby Lancaster. Following high school, she entered the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps training program. After two and a half years in Grand Forks, N.D., and six months during the polio epidemic at Crippled Children’s Hospital in Saint Paul, Minn., she became a registered nurse.
On Oct. 25, 1947, Peg married her one love, Paul Backstrom. At a double wedding ceremony, Peg and Paul were married along with Paul’s older brother, Clarence, who married Peg’s best friend from school, Joyce Berg. In 1958, after several years of farming and welcoming their first three children, Paul and Peg moved to Long Beach, where Paul’s brothers Clarence and Harold, and sister Hildur, lived with their families.
Peg worked as a registered nurse at the hospital in Hallock, Minn., and at both Harriman Jones and Community hospitals in Long Beach. In the 1960s, when Paul was laid off from his position at McDonald Douglas, Peg and Paul opened a board and care residence in Long Beach for senior women. Peg’s resilience served the family well during that time when Paul was hospitalized for a two-month experimental cancer treatment at the VA hospital. Peg managed the board and care business as well as the household while balancing life with a newborn son plus their three other children. Through the support of Paul’s family, Peg’s stamina and fortitude, and God’s hand, their business was successful, and Paul made a miraculous recovery.
When Paul returned to McDonald Douglas, they sold the board and care business and Peg began a new career, obtaining a license for home childcare. Aligned with her love of children, this new phase also gave her time to be at home being productive and doing the things she loved – gardening, sewing, canning, needlework, house projects and traveling. Paul and Peg traveled both nationally and internationally, as they both were intrigued by other cultures and foods. They traveled to China, Sweden and Australia, and made trips to Alaska, the East Coast and Hawaii, along with many camping adventures in their beloved Volkswagen van. They never tired of returning to their roots, the Minnesota family farm, where they spent summer months visiting family and friends, scouring rummage sales, completing ongoing projects to keep up the farm, canning, scouting for deer in the evenings, putting up birdhouses, picking wild berries, and enjoying time together. Several visits found Paul and Peg bringing their grandchildren to the farm to expand their horizons and learn about their heritage.
Whether in California or Minnesota, family was always important to Peg. Large family gatherings were the norm. Even with the boisterous Backstrom family, Peg, although quiet, always managed to make herself known. She treasured her seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. And she spoke highly of all her nieces and nephews, at times using them as examples to her own children. Peg loved her children, not always through words, but with her willingness to help where she could, sharing her time, talent and treasure.
Peg and Paul were active, longtime members of Hope Community Church in Long Beach. They both grew up in the Lutheran faith and brought all their children up in the faith.
Peg is survived by: her children, Daryl, Sandra, and Kevin.
She was preceded in death by: her husband, Paul, and son, Nolan.
In her final days she was waiting in anticipation to join Jesus in her heavenly home, singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” nightly before falling asleep. We will miss her, but she will remain in our hearts forever.
Family and friends celebrated Peg’s life at services on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at Forest Lawn in Cypress, Calif. In honor of Peg, memorial gifts can be directed to: Kittson County Museum, 332 East Main Street, Lake Bronson, MN 56734. https://www.mnhistoricnw.org/museums/county-museums/kittson-county/
