HURON — Peggy S. Hammrich-Heinz, 54, of Huron, passed away Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at Huron Regional Medical Center surrounded by her family.

Her Mass of Christian Burial is 10:30 a.m.  Wednesday, Dec. 27, at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish, with burial following at St. Martin Cemetery.

Visitation with the family present is Tuesday, Dec. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Holy Trinity Parish with a scripture prayer service beginning at 6:30 p.m., with a time of sharing to follow. Visitation will also be one hour prior to the funeral mass at the church on Wednesday.

Peggy Susan Hammrich was born on Aug. 12, 1969, to parents Harvey and Juanita (Novak) Hammrich in Webster. Her family moved to Watertown when she was a young girl when her father became the Watertown Athletic Director. Peggy graduated from Watertown High School in 1987.

She attended Mankato State University before transferring to Northern State University in Aberdeen. Peggy graduated from Northern with her bachelor’s in education and continued to obtain her Masters in Administration. She began her teaching career in Watertown, teaching at Watertown High School.
Peggy married Dennis Heinz in Watertown on July 31, 1993, where they had Houstyn and Hyland before moving to Huron in 1998, where they grew their family with three beautiful girls: Havyn, Hamtyn and Hylton. Peggy started her 26-year career with the Huron School District. She had many positions including classroom teacher, Special Education Director, and Principal. She was principal of Washington Elementary, Jefferson Elementary and Buchanan K-1 Center. Peggy was a loved colleague and friend to many.

She cared for all her students like they were her own and always believed in doing what was best for the students.  She would go above and beyond to help in any way possible for them to succeed. Her bright smile will be missed by all the students and staff who have been touched by her kindness.

Peggy was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Parish. She loved to host and decorate, by finding creative ways to throw parties for each one of her children’s birthdays and special events. Her bright personality reflected in how she decorated for all these events which she lived for. You could always find her in the stands supporting her children at all their Huron Tiger events and was proud of all her children’s accomplishments. Peggy was so excited to become “Glammy.” It was her brightest joy welcoming her first grandson, Landri, into the world.

She lost her year-long battle with cancer. Her determination and strong will helped her fight like a warrior. No matter what the situation was she continually pushed herself to get to the school to support her staff and students even when her health continued to fail. She was a very committed and dedicated worker, who never gave up and did it without complaining. As Stuart Scott said, “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”

She is survived by her husband of 30 years, Dennis of Huron; her children, Houstyn (Lexi) Heinz of Huron, Hyland (Madison Herbeck) Heinz of Grand Forks, N.D., Havyn (Jett McGirr) Heinz of Huron, Hamtyn Heinz of Huron, and Hylton Heinz of Huron; her grandson, Landri Harvey Heinz of Huron; her brother, Nick (Krysta) Hammrich of Eden Prairie, Minn., and their children, Mason, Avery, and Kaden Hammrich; her mother-in-law, Ella Heinz of Aberdeen; her siblings-in-law, Marion (LeRoy) Kilber of Ipswich, Mel (Marge) Heinz of Aberdeen, Terry (Cindy) Heinz of Mina, JoAnne (Dick) Klein of Gillette, Wyo., and Steve Johnson of Wis.; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Juanita; her sister, Dr. Penny L. Hammrich, her sister-in-law, Julie Heinz Johnson; and her father-in-law, Cletus Heinz.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials may be made to the Huron School District Foundation, P.O. Box 949, Huron, S.D. 57350

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