Dr. Peggy House

Dr. House was born on October 20, 1941 in Milwaukee, WI to Lefton C. and Adele (Artinian) House. A 1959 graduate of Pius XI High School, she attended Alverno College in Milwaukee where she double majored in mathematics and physics. In 1963, after receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors, she began her teaching career at Pope John XXIII Central High School in Elgin, NE.

While teaching at Pope John XXIII, she earned both a Master of Science degree (1970) and a PhD (1973) from Kansas State University. She loved being a high school teacher, however attending a National Science Foundation Summer Institute at K-State reaffirmed her desire to teach at the college level. To quote Dr. House, “When my superintendent in Nebraska said, ‘You can make a difference in the lives of 200 kids here, or you can educate 200 future teachers to each make a difference in the lives of 200 kids.’ That helped seal it for me.” After completing her doctorate, Dr. House taught at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities for several years.

In 1993 she was hired by Northern Michigan University to direct The Glenn T. Seaborg Center for Teaching and Learning Science and Mathematics at Northern Michigan University. Dr. House held that position at NMU until 2003 when she joined the Mathematics Department at NMU. Peggy retired from NMU in 2014.

During her career, Dr. House was the recipient of many awards as well as a prolific writer of mathematics and science articles and books. She was nationally recognized for her dedication to improving mathematics education. She mentored preservice teachers, edited and authored numerous books, articles, reports, and made more than 230 mathematics presentations domestically and abroad. She worked with NASA to develop the series “Mission Mathematics II: Linking Aerospace and the NCTM Standards. In 2005, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Service to Mathematics Education from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and was also honored with Northern Michigan University’s Distinguished Faculty Award. She served on the board National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and was the general editor for the best-selling “Navigations” book series.

In her spare time, Peggy enjoyed doing Sudoku and crossword puzzles, as well as needlepoint. She was an avid reader and particularly liked L. Frank Baum books, and was especially fond of the Wizard of Oz.

Peggy is survived by her niece, Dr. Leslie (Rory) Lemanek of Escanaba, MI.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church. Visitation will start at 11 a.m. in the church until the time of the Mass. Inurnment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to U.P. Home Health & Hospice, 1125 W. Ridge St., Marquette, MI 49855.

Canale-Tonella Funeral Home and Cremation Services is assisting Peggy’s family where memories and condolences may be shared at canalefuneral.com.