Margaret "Peggy: Evelyn Idlewine

Margaret Evelyn “Peggy” Bychinsky Idlewine was born December 7, 1947, on Long Island New York to Dorothy Marie Adams Bychinsky and Sigmund Eugene Bychinsky. She spent her early years in Birmingham, Michigan moving to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1957. The family moved to South Bend, Indiana in 1963 and returned to Indianapolis in 1965. She was active in Girl Scouts and a counselor at Dellwood Girl Scout camp. She graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis in 1965. She attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority. She spent a summer term abroad, working in a halfway house outside London in 1968. Peggy graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University, majoring in Sociology. She also studied Spanish and delighted in reading Don Quixote.

On August 17, 1969, she married Jeffrey Lee Idlewine at Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. The reception was held at Meridian Hills Country Club. Peggy began her long career in Social Work in Indianapolis, where she worked for the American Red Cross, assisting service members and their families as the Vietnam War was ending. She also counseled alcoholics. She and Jeff moved to Columbus in 1975. Her not-for-profit employers included San Souci, a thrift shop in Columbus, a homeless shelter, and the United Way along with volunteer work with organizations such as the Ecumenical Assembly of Bartholomew County Churches. Peg was instrumental in developing “Wheels to Work” in Columbus, a program which coordinated volunteers to repair donated cars, and then provided those cars at a low cost to families with limited income and full-time jobs who need reliable transportation to get to and from work. She retired from the United Way in February 2010.

In her retirement, she became active as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and worked to preserve family memories via scrapbooking. She passed away peacefully on February 2, 2026, at her home, after a brief stay at the Our Hospice Center in Columbus. She will be fondly remembered as a wonderful sister, devoted wife, mother and grandmother who was immensely proud of the men her sons had become, and thoroughly enjoyed her granddaughters.

Peggy is survived by her two sons – Michael Eugene (Julie) Idlewine of Columbus, John Alexander Idlewine of Dallas, Texas, and two granddaughters Sophia Lynn and Katherine Marie Idlewine, of Columbus. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 55 years Jeff in 2024.

A private graveside service will be held at a later date at South Park Cemetery, Greensburg, Indiana.

Memorials may be made to Our Hospice of South-Central Indiana, 2626 E. 17th Street, Columbus, IN 47201, or at www.ourhospice.org.