Margaret (Peggy) Durrell Reel of Honolulu, formerly of Boca Raton, Florida, and Hinsdale, Illinois, died April 17, 2015. She was 94. She was an amazing woman who fully embraced life and dearly loved her husband, children, grandchildren, and friends. She and her husband, Richard Reel were married for 67 years and raised their family in Hinsdale, Illinois before retiring and moving to Florida. For the last years of their lives, she and Dick enjoyed living in the Kahala Nui Retirement Community of Honolulu.

Peggy was born on March 10, 1921, at home in Alhambra, California, the youngest of four siblings. She was raised in South Pasadena. Peg loved to read and must have gained her love of literature from her parents - Carl and Gertrude Durrell - both teachers. As a young girl, her family spent many summers camping at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. She and her siblings spent long days hiking the trails. These adventures instilled in her a love of nature.

In 1940, Peg spent her first year at Pasadena City College. She then transferred to UC Berkeley to major in history and study the establishment of the California Missions. She met her beloved husband at PCC. They continued to date when she was at Berkeley and he was at Stanford. That added a bit of good-natured rivalry. She and Dick married in 1943.

After the war, they took their long-awaited honeymoon - a driving tour of Mexico. Peg had never lived east of the Sierra's but she willingly moved from sunny South Pasadena to Hinsdale, Illinois in 1945 so that Dick could work for the Anning-Johnson Company in Chicago (25 years). They made many life-long friends there. After Dick's retirement at age 50, the family moved to Boca Raton for the warmer weather and to be closer to the dream home that they built on Winding Bay, Eleuthera, Bahamas.

In 1963, Dick and Peg bought the Noble cottage in Shorewood. She loved the coziness and views of the lake. She welcomed friends with chocolate chip cookies for the youngsters and cocktails for the adults. She would always say that the Little Cottage was her favorite home of all.

Our mother was a beautiful woman, always happy, friendly, kind, and interested in others. She loved to laugh and tell stories. She was a world traveler, birdwatcher, shell collector, and beach walker, and she was happiest barefoot

She is survived by her son Rich (Leanne) of Seattle, daughters, Joan (Joe) of Honolulu, and Sue (Dick) of Missoula, Montana, and four grandchildren.

The Holland Sentinel, June 21, 2015