Peggy Belser passed away peacefully at her home at The Clearing at Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston, Illinois on Thursday, August 15, 2024. Her birthday was one month before her 95th birthday.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 24, at Reba Place Church, 620 Madison St. in Evanston. The viewing will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. The funeral service may also be viewed online via Zoom. Click here for more details.
She was born on September 12, 1929, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Milton and Barbara Eberly, a dedicated Church of the Brethren couple in a strong Anabaptist congregation. She was the oldest of three children, followed by Helen (Keller) and then Harold Eberly. Peggy’s Anabaptist roots shone throughout her life.
Peggy loved to talk about her time in elementary school, when the children worked in a small one-room schoolhouse. In the church youth group, she met Julius Belser, a neighbor boy. A highlight of her school days was when Julius accompanied the Eberlys on a field trip to the annual conference of the Church of the Brethren.
After high school, Peggy took a year off from Brethren Voluntary Service as a peace caravan. This meant traveling around the country with a group of young people, visiting Anabaptist churches and encouraging them to uphold the traditional stance for peace and nonviolence. Her assignment was not without its challenges in the years immediately following World War II, but she said it really matured her faith. She returned home to participate in a peace caravan.
Elizabethtown College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
In August 1952, Peggy and Julius Belser were married. A year later, when Julius graduated from college, they moved to Chicago to attend Bethany Biblical Seminary. In October 1955, Nevin joined the family. After seminary, where Peggy earned a master’s degree in Christian education, they accepted an interim pastorate at the First Church of the Brethren on Chicago’s west side. Nina was born in October 1957.
At the seminary, they met Archie Hargraves and heard about the West Side Christian Parish. They decided to stay on the west side of Chicago to join the ministry and founded the Church of Hope in the Maxwell Street area, a predominantly black neighborhood. Ann was born there in 1959. Even with the help of several wonderful partners, this ministry proved very difficult and overwhelming for the young family. They moved to Evanston in 1965 to join the Reba Place Fellowship, a sister community, and find healing and renewal.
Early in her time in Reba, Peggy became involved in the hospitality industry. Many people were interested in the conscious community at that time. She was the community guest coordinator for over 40 years. The family lived in various locations in Reba over the next few years. In the spring of 1972, the Belsers joined Betty Roddy and her family at 722 Monroe to form the first extended family household in Reba. This household became known as “The Clearing” and it was there that Peggy lived the rest of her life.
From this location, Julius and Peggy engaged in an amazing variety of care, ministry and pastoral work for others for many years. They hosted Julius’ parents and brother at the end of their lives and shared life with hundreds of brothers and sisters and guests over the years. Julius died in December 2018 and Peggy watched over the life of The Clearing from her armchair in the living room until a week before her death.
Peggy was preceded in death by Julius, her sister Helen Keller, and her brother Harold Eberly. She is survived by her children: Nevin (Judy) of Comer, Georgia, Nina Frantz (Ronn) of Chicago, Illinois, and Ann Brown (Tom) of Lafayette, Indiana. Peggy had eight grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, friends may consider donations to one of the following organizations:
Heifer International, 1 World Ave., Little Rock AR, 72202, an organization that works to end hunger and poverty in partnership with the communities it serves; Hungry World Farm, PO Box 386, Tiskilwa, IL 61368, which educates and inspires people about healthy foods, fields and bodies; New Hope House, PO Box 1213 Griffin, GA 30224, which provides support to people on Georgia’s death row and their families.
