Peggy+Koan

Peggy Koan was born and raised in a small town in South Dakota. She received her B.S. and M.A. degrees in Speech and Language Therapy. Peggy worked in many varied settings, including assisted living facilities, Head Start, private practice clinics and public schools as a speech and language therapist for almost 20 years. She is married to Todd Koan, a quiet man with a gentle spirit and great sense of humor. Todd is a computer programmer at Federated Insurance. They have two daughters. Sarah is in graduate school and lives in the Twin Cities. Natalie is working towards her undergraduate degree and lives in Bemidji. An aspect of Peggy’s life that has deeply shaped her is the reality of living with depression and anxiety for over 40 years. She has expressed that her depression has turned out to be a gift because of the compassion that she has developed for other’s experiencing the pain of emotional difficulties. Talking about living as a person with depression has given purpose and meaning to this aspect of her life. In an article for the Steele County Times, she stated, “I’m thankful for the experiences of my life. It doesn’t matter if they were joyful, painful or just ordinary. They have shaped me into who I am.”

Peggy is involved in various pursuits that bring pleasure and meaning to her life. Her family makes time to be together as often as they can. Peggy and her husband enjoy camping, hiking and taking in the gift of experiencing nature. She won’t bait a hook but she has been known to read a good book while her husband catches supper. Finding ways to make memories with her daughters has become very important and requires creativity as they pursue their very active lives. Peggy enjoys reading many different topics and having a good discussion with anyone standing close by about what she has read. Listening to others and taking in the wisdom of what she hears nourishes her. At times she is moved to offer wisdom in return. Becoming aware of the sacred in the present moment is a spiritual practice that Peggy has worked to cultivate. She has inherited her father’s creative nature, and sense of humor and her mother’s love of time with God being present to him in little ways throughout the day. She is a member of the Scripture Sharing group, prayer shawl ministry and co-teaches adult faith formation at Sacred Heart Parish. Finally, she is owned by a lively miniature schnauzer who would be very surprised to find out she is not a person.