Peggy “Peg” Lee (Lindgren) Romanelli of Rock Falls, IL was the daughter of Sherman and Cora “Bea” (Tarbill) Lindgren, born April 28, 1951. She died September 11, 2026 of complications due to Alzheimer’s in Naperville, IL. She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Ralph Romanelli.

Peg was born in Sterling, IL and graduated from Sterling High School in 1969 as a member of the National Honor Society. She earned her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Sauk Valley Community College and attended Northern Arizona University. Peg earned her degree in Liberal Arts from Western Illinois University.

Peg met the love of her life, Ralph Romanelli, in 1972. They were married on Sweetest Day, October 19, 1974 at Grace Episcopal Church in Sterling. Ralph and Peg had three children, Bryony (Rafael) Altamiano of West Chicago; Marisa Romanelli (Tor Janson) of Hillpoint, WI; and Leah (Alex) Romanelli DeJesus of Lakewood, OH. She loved being grandmother to Javi DeJesus (12) and Gracie Altamirano (11).

Professionally, Peg was a pre-school teacher at the YWCA of Sterling, a vocation she loved (known to her students as “Mrs. Peg”). She kept in touch with several students’ families and loved to hear about their lives as the kids grew up. Later, she became a librarian at the Rock Falls Public Library. As an avid reader, she enjoyed talking to people about which books interested them and why.

While her children were young, Peg was a stay-at-home mother, Girl Scout leader, gardener, Sunday school teacher, and day camp director. She was always very clear with her daughters that their education was a lifelong labor and there was nothing women couldn’t or shouldn’t do. Herself a woman of deep and diverse interests, Peg could learn to do anything by reading about it and taught herself to knit, cook, speak Italian, garden, play the organ, write computer code, create websites, and sew. She even sewed some of her own clothing, her wedding and bridal party dresses, and her daughters’ clothing and costumes. Through their contributions to the Rock Falls High School theatre department (her sewing costumes, he building sets), Peg and Ralph even became members of Thespian Troupe #3439. Peg was always a writer and in her mid-life wrote several novels inspired by the works of Jane Austen, which she shared with a group of friends online from across the world that she kept in touch with for decades.

Peg valued education and having broad horizons, and she helped others attain this by creating experiences for them. She never did anything halfway, so sometimes this looked like creating an immersive moon-landing experience for her pre-schooler, complete with NASA launch; moon-walk with rocks, craters, and space noises; and astronaut ice cream. Other times this looked like planning detailed itineraries for cross-country road trips for her family so her daughters could learn the history and culture of the U.S. where it actually took place. She believed all Americans should travel the country to learn about each other.

Peg enjoyed travel of any kind, from flying to the Bahamas with Ralph to driving up to Galena to see the fall color. Her favorite trip was to Italy in 2004 with Ralph and their longtime friends. Even in times when she couldn’t travel, she made friends around the world so she could learn about their lives and cultures. She was friends with one penpal from Italy for more than 60 years. Peg also believed in being a tourist in your own home town and knew the Sauk Valley well. She felt a deep connection to nature, which she experienced in gardening (especially perennials like roses), growing and preserving vegetables, observing the wildlife in her yard, being near water, and going to parks. Her favorite place to hike throughout her life was Sinnissippi Park, but she also loved smelling the pines at White Pines State Park and camping at Scott County Park.

Peg was interested in everything, but especially humanity: our various histories, religions, traditions, spiritualities, and cultures–especially music. She uploaded all of her music to an iPod early on and just listened to it on shuffle–she might listen to opera, the Beatles, Broadway, Pink Floyd, Ella Fitzgerald, and Shakira all just while watching the dishes.

A member of Grace Episcopal Church in Sterling for more than 50 years and a woman of deep faith, Peg particularly appreciated the ways humanity holds the same values across difference–that all religions point to love, that all cultures nurture family, and that all human connection happens not only spiritually and emotionally, but even physically on a cellular level in every individual. She saw and loved these ideas most clearly in the potential, joy, and curiosity of youth; she sought to hold those values throughout her life and impart them to her students and her family.

Peg’s funeral will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 11 AM at Grace Episcopal Church in Sterling, IL. The calling hour will be from 10-10:45 AM and a reception will follow in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Peg’s memory to Grace Episcopal Church, Sterling; the YWCA of Sterling; and CGH’s Health Foundation, which funds their Dementia Support Group.