Margaret "Peggy" Rapp

Devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Margaret MacNary Rapp’s legacy is known and revered throughout the State of Indiana. Always called Peggy by her friends and family, she was born a Hoosier in Hammond, Indiana in 1934. She graduated from Hammond High School where she was very active in music programs and athletics, especially tennis. She attended and earned a BS Degree in Education at Indiana University in Bloomington, where she was active in Kappa Alpha Theta and intramural athletic programs. It was there that she met her future husband, George Rapp. They married in March 1956, the year Peggy celebrated her graduation from IU. She then entered the teaching profession and taught at Eagledale School in Indianapolis for three years while her husband attended medical school.

Home and family were central in Peggy’s life. The years yielded the blessings of two sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Through sixty-six years of marriage and the myriad activities of family life, Peggy found time to pursue her varied interests and always supported and participated with George in all their many endeavors.

She became an avid supporter of a host of Indiana-based organizations, including the Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis Museum of Art (Newfields) where she was named a Life Trustee and contributed to the restoration of the Rapp Ravine Garden on the museum grounds. Other organizations that benefited from Peggy’s participation and support were the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, where she served for many years on the Board of Directors, the Heartland Truly Moving Pictures and Heartland Film Festival. She was a participating member of the Second Presbyterian Church, Sanibel Community Church, and was active in many Bible study groups.

Peggy loved flowers and gardening. She was instrumental in forming the New Harmony Gardening Club, was a member of the Trailing Arbutus Garden Club in Indianapolis and worked diligently on the grounds and gardens for the Sanibel Seaview Condo Association. She designed beautiful gardens in Indianapolis, New Harmony, and Lake Wawasee.

Peggy was the ultimate hostess! She started a “Hat Luncheon” in New Harmony, hosted many groups to their home, many Christmas events and too many others to mention.

Peggy also supported many IU schools and academic departments: the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Herron School of Art & Design, IU Orthopedic Surgery and Medicine departments, as well as the school’s athletic programs. For her generosity to the university, she was presented the Presidents Circle Laurel Pin in 2013.

With her husband, Dr. George Rapp, Peggy was active in the life and preservation of historic New Harmony, Indiana, where she actively participated in the life of the village and lent generous support to its robust art community. For more than twenty years, she organized the volunteers for New Harmony’s nationally known, annual “First Brush of Spring” Plein Air event. As a life-long, stalwart arts patron and benefactor, Peggy earned an honorary degree from the University of Southern Indiana in 2011 and was honored as a “Living Legend” by the Indiana Historical Society in 2013.

Peggy is survived by her husband Dr. George Rapp and two sons, Dr. John Rapp (Leslie) and James Rapp (Patty), thirteen grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.

Services in celebration of Margaret MacNary Rapp’s life and contributions to her beloved Hoosier state will be held at Second Presbyterian Church at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17th 2022 with a gathering to follow, also at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any remembrances be shared with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Hoosier Salon, the Rapp Ravine Garden at Newfields, and Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis.

You are invited to visit the website www.leppertmortuary.com to view the livestream of the memorial service and share a personal memory of Peggy. Leppert Mortuary assisting with funeral arrangements.