A night for Peggy: Friends remember a woman who was always ready with a smile

MORRISON – Although a community is mourning the loss of a Morrison woman who police say was shot and killed by her daughter, the people who knew her and loved her say they are staying positive and waiting for the day when they will see their friend again.

About 100 people came to a prayer service Wednesday night for Peggy Sue Schroeder, 53, at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church.

She was a parishioner at the church at 601 N. Jackson St. for about 5 years

The Rev. Mark Winkelman, who led Wednesday night’s service, said during an interview earlier in the day that Peggy was "very loving and hard-working, always with a smile, always ready to help if need be. It was rare to find her not doing something."

Rather than dwell on the tragedy, Winkelman said he wanted to help people “keep the focus on the spiritual aspect.”

Peggy was nearly deaf, and attended St. Peter because Winkelman could interpret for her and other deaf church members, with whom she socialized regularly, he said.

The night was filled with readings, prayers and memories of the hard-working woman everyone knew her to be.

Friends spoke of a woman who loved to garden, was an avid texter, and loved to dance to the song “Mony Mony.”

Co-worker and friend Lindsay Swartz, 29, of Sterling said Peggy was always trying to teach her sign language, and talking to Peggy always made her feel better.

"She will be greatly missed but I will never forget her," Swartz said.

Christina Appenzeller, 52, of Rock Falls, spoke of loosing her best friend and all the good times the two had together throughout their lives.

"Let the angels fly around you and when I'm with you, we are going to do it again," Appenzeller said through tears.

The service concluded with the lighting of candles each person held and the ringing of the church bell 53 times in honor of Peggy.

The case

Her body was found Saturday afternoon in her burning home, at 805 W. Park St. Police have said her daughter, Anna Schroeder, 15, who lived with her, shot her in the forehead July 6, then she and a friend attempted to clean up the home before deciding to start the fire Saturday to hide the evidence.

Anna is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, concealment of a homicidal death and arson, all felonies.

Because she is younger than 16, state law dictates that her case begin in juvenile court. It will be up to Whiteside County State's Attorney Terry Costello to decide whether to ask to have the case transferred to adult court.

If he does, Judge Trish Joyce will make the decision, taking into account factors such as the child's mental capacity, background and level of responsibility for the crime.

If Anna is tried and convicted as a minor, she could be imprisoned until she is 21.

Her girlfriend, Rachel Helm, also 15, of Rock Falls, set the fire, police said. She has yet to be formally charged.

Both girls were being held at the Mary Davis Detention Home in Galesburg, and both have a court appearance Aug. 8.

Peggy's other daughter, Kaylene Schroeder, 18, lives in Walnut with the girls' father Daryl Schroeder. He and Peggy divorced in 2012.

The girls, who are biological sisters, were adopted about 11 years ago, when Kaylene was 7 and Anna was 4, Kaylene said in an interview via Facebook on Wednesday afternoon.

Peggy did everything she could to give her and Anna a good life, including working three jobs – at the Wahl Clipper Service Center, 3001 N. Locust St. in Sterling, and cleaning two churches, Kaylene said.

Peggy, who graduated from Mount Carroll High School in 1983, was an avid gardener and landscaper, her family said in her obituary.

She also is survived by sisters Patty, Brenda and Nancy Cravatta and Charlene Leuer, and brothers Jonathan, Joe and Tom Cravatta.

She is being cremated. A memorial visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. July 21 at Bosma-Renkes Funeral Home in Morrison. Her memorial service is at 10:30 a.m. July 22 at the church, followed by a graveside service at 2 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery in Savanna.

Her complete obituary can be found at bosmarenkes.com by clicking on recent obituaries on the left-hand side of the page.

The testimony

According to testimony at her probable cause hearing Tuesday in Whiteside County Court in Sterling, Anna shot her mother in the forehead the afternoon of July 6, after Peggy came home from work. She used her mother's .38-caliber revolver, first making her put a towel over her face.

She texted a picture of the body to Rachel, to prove she had indeed killed her, then Rachel got a ride to Schroeders' and the girls spent that night and the next day trying clean up the blood. They also moved Peggy's body to her bedroom and covered it with a bed sheet.

Saturday, they decided to set the house on fire to get rid of the evidence. Helm set fire to the sheet covering Peggy and the sheets in Anna's room, then they walked to Grove Hill Cemetery and hid the gun and Anna's phone.

Peggy was supposed to drop Anna off at her dad's house Saturday morning. When they didn't show up, he drove to Morrison to pick Anna up. As he pulled up to the home around 1:30 p.m., he saw the fire and called 911 while an off-duty Erie firefighter who was in the area broke down the door.

Details on exactly how the girls returned to their families that afternoon are not known.

That night, Rachel told her mother what they had done; they contacted the Sheriff's Department around 8 p.m. and Rachel repeated her story to Detective David Molina.

Molina contacted the Bureau County Sheriff's Department, who picked Anna up at her dad's and took her in for questioning.

She confessed to everything – including having researched children who murdered their parents – after breaking down and asking for her father, Molina testified.

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but the exact cause of death won't be released until the pathologist's report is complete, officials have said.