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Living Stories
Stadum Family Archive

Generation 3 · Daughter of Palmer and Signe

Peggy
Stadum

Palmer and Signe's eldest daughter, born in 1942. For decades she walked to Ely Elementary School every morning in Rugby, North Dakota — never married, never drove a car — and became one of those people a small town builds itself around.

Overview & Story

Peggy's school record begins in Cando: the 1953 Cando High School Yearbook places her in the student roster. She graduated in 1960. From there the record follows her straight into the classroom.

Peggy lived independently in Rugby for many years. She tended her garden. She kept her house the way it had always been — "Nothing's changed since 1950," her nephew Scott wrote when he saw the house photos in 2025. Her life in Rugby had a settled, rooted quality that her neighbors and former students recognized. She was part of the town's fabric in the way only a few people are.

After her health decline in 2023, Peggy's care fell to her family. Rod flew to Minot in January 2025 in temperatures of −15°F to sit with her at Trinity Hospital. In February he flew in again for her transfer to Good Samaritan in Bottineau. Beverly and Bjørn came from Norway for over a week. She keeps a guest book and asks every visitor to sign it. She has not once brought up her Rugby house.

Open Education Story Palmer & Signe Life Story

Map

Peggy's life is deeply rooted in North Dakota, with deep community ties in Rugby.

Life Events

Timeline

1942
Born in North Dakota

Born before Palmer's Navy SeaBee service. Chronology places Peggy as Palmer and Signe's eldest daughter.

1953
Cando High School Yearbook

Cando High School Yearbook record names Peggy Stadum in the student roster.

1960
High School Graduation / Yearbook

Peggy's senior yearbook portrait from high school.

Early 1960s
Teaching Career Begins at Ely Elementary

Peggy begins teaching elementary school children in Rugby. She walks to school each morning. She never marries, never gets a driver's license. Her decades at Ely Elementary make her one of Rugby's most recognized citizens.

1965
Saint Petri Cemetery Photograph

Saint Petri Cemetery side gate photograph captures Peggy setting flowers near Solberg graves.

1970s
Portland, Oregon

Lived in Portland, Oregon for a brief period.

2021
Community Ely Elementary Expansion Forum

Retired Ely Elementary teacher Margaret Stadum speaks at a public forum regarding the proposed school expansion in Rugby.

2023
Health Decline — Family Organizing Care

A health decline prompts the family to begin planning long-term care. Rod, Beverly, and Chris manage Peggy's affairs from a distance.

January 2025
Trinity Hospital, Minot

Rod flies to Minot in −15°F temperatures and sits by Peggy's bedside for two days at Trinity Hospital.

February 2025
Moves to Good Samaritan, Bottineau

Transferred from Heart of America in Rugby to Good Samaritan Society in Bottineau, ND. Beverly and Bjørn fly from Norway for more than a week.

August 2025
Rugby House Cleaned Out and Sold

Rod and Chris spend days cleaning Peggy's Rugby home — largely unchanged since the 1950s. The house is sold. Beverly takes family archive materials back to Norway.

Connections

Story Graph

Archive Evidence

Sources

Family Photograph
Saint Petri Cemetery Gate
Peggy at the cemetery side gate, setting flowers near Solberg graves.
Yearbook
Cando High School Cub Yearbook, 1953
Names Peggy Stadum in the student roster.