Tell City Native Peggy Shultz, 86, Dies in Fort Wayne

Margaret “Peggy” L. Shultz, age 86, of Fort Wayne, IN passed away on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, surrounded by family, her obituary at Divine Mercy Funeral Home states. Born on October 1, 1939, in Tell City, IN, she was the daughter of the late Jesse and Dorothy (Plock) Hicks.

The Divine Mercy listing notes Peggy worked for GE in Fort Wayne and also for Peg Perego until her retirement, marking a long connection to two employers with local manufacturing ties. When not working, “she enjoyed coloring, gardening, planting flowers, and decorating for every holiday, especially Christmas,” the obituary says, and it adds that “Peggy was a huge Elvis fan and loved all animals. She simply adored her pet Shih Tzu, Isabella, but above all, she loved her family most.”

Peggy’s family is listed in full in the funeral-home notice: “Left to cherish her memory are her children, Brian (Paula) Johnson, Steven Johnson, Karen (Doug) Fraley, Theresa Maroney, Jon (Brittany) Shultz, and Jeff Shultz; 16 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.” The obituary also records that Peggy was preceded in death by her parents; infant son, Joseph Johnson; and her first husband, Pearless “Junie” Johnson.

A public visitation for friends and family will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026, at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, the obituary instructs. For those unable to attend in person, the funeral home provides online options: “Fond memories and condolences can be left at divinemercyfuneralhome.com for the family,” and the notice lists memorial preferences: “Memorials can be written to the SPCA (humanefw.org) in Peggy’s name.”

Local neighbors who remember Peggy’s holiday decorations or her garden on Lake Avenue will find the visitation scheduled for next week, and family members have left an explicit invitation for remembrances. The obituary emphasizes the everyday quiet of her absence: “Peggy’s absence in her children’s and grandchildren’s lives will be felt every day, and she will be dearly missed.”

Those planning memorial gifts or messages can follow the funeral-home instructions for donations to the SPCA and for submitting condolences online ahead of the Monday, Feb. 23 visitation at Divine Mercy Funeral Home.