Peg Kehret

Peg was born Margaret Ann Schulze to Bob and Beth Schulze in LaCross Wisconsin on November 11, 1936, joining older brother Art. She grew up in Austin, MN where she met and fell in love with Carl Kehret, whom she married on July 2, 1955. They had 48 happy years of marriage and many fun adventures before Carl’s death in 2004. He remained with her in spirit for the next 21 years. In 1957, Peg and Carl moved to California where they adopted their two children, Bob and Anne. Family life included many years of youth baseball games for Bob, and gymnastics meets for Anne, sparking a continued interest in those sports for the rest of her life. A dedicated and ever-optimistic Mariners fan from their inaugural game on, Peg was thrilled to see the team’s play-off run this year, even when it fell just short of the World Series. She was already looking forward to next season! Peg was always planning fun, interesting or educational events for the family, which affectionately came to be known as “Momma’s Follies”.

A voracious lifelong reader, Peg also always loved writing from a very early age. She wrote numerous stories for her grandpa and created a Neighborhood Dog Newspaper when she was young to report on the antics of the neighborhood dogs. She sold subscriptions and hand-copied each issue but quickly lost subscribers when she devoted each front page to news of only her own dog. A valuable lesson she learned for her later career.

When Peg was 12 years old, she contracted Polio and after initially being paralyzed from the neck down she spent many months in a rehab hospital learning to walk again, progressing from wheelchair, to walking sticks and eventually walking independently. That experience would shape the rest of her life and was one of the things she credited with forming strong memories of those early teenage years. Being a polio survivor was a source of strength for her over the years. She was always positive and optimistic, even when Post Polio Syndrome added challenges to her later years.

Most of her writing career was geared towards middle grade readers and she published over 50 books for kids over the span of it. Peg’s books won numerous state and national awards but the most rewarding for her was hearing from so many readers over the years, young and old, that her books touched and inspired. Before writing books for children, Peg wrote radio commercials, plays and magazine stories. She also published two non-fiction adult books. A lifelong animal lover, Peg incorporated animals into most of her stories and she also supported many animal welfare organizations over the years. Throughout her life Peg shared her home with many beloved pets - both cats and dogs and each one held a special place in her heart. Peg was also a foster mom to many cats, helping to lead them to loving forever homes.

Peg loved her milk chocolate, whether it be milk shakes or candy (no dark chocolate and definitely no raisins!) Having a box of Boehm’s or See’s on hand made any event special. She did Wordle and the daily crossword puzzle (in ink!) each day and watched Jeopardy remotely with her dear friend Marilyn nearly every weeknight. Peg had many varied interests and found joy also in the simple pleasures of life – a walk on the nature trail, Lil Jon’s cinnamon rolls; Pearls Before Swine; and always reading a book. She enjoyed live theater and she and Carl were very active with the Bellevue Playbarn during its heyday. She later enjoyed season tickets to the Village Theater and Broadway musicals at the Paramount.

Peg was preceded in death by her loving husband Carl, parents Beth and Bob Schulze and older brother Art. Peg is survived by her son Bob Kehret, daughter Anne Konen (Kevin), grandkids Brett Konen (Phil Bjorge), Chelsea Kehret, Eric Konen, Mark Kehret and great grandchild Seth.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions may be made to your local Humane Society or to Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign.

A celebration of Peg’s extraordinary life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on January 10, 2026, in the Mercer Room of the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. You are welcome to share a story about Peg during this time.