mike and peggy burg - debbie johnson books · all about peggy . facts: peggy lee archer was born...

Mike and Peggy Burg

Of

Hot Springs, South Dakota

Mike and Peggy Burg

Copyright February, 2010, by Michael and Peggy Burg.

Written by Michael and Peggy Burg with Debbie Johnson

All rights reserved. Any reprinting or copying of this book either retail or wholesale is strictly prohibited, in whole or in part, including storage in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by an electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording means or otherwise except by written permission from the authors, Michael and Peggy Burg, or their heirs.

Legacy Treasures 3 Mike and Peggy Burg

All about Peggy

Facts:

Peggy Lee Archer was born June 15th, 1957 to Theodore (Ted) and Janet

(pronounced “Janette”) Archer, in the town of Moorhead, Iowa,

population 300. She graduated from East Monona High School, which was

named after the county in which she lived.

Peggy’s Story

Even though Peggy was shy and reserved as a young woman, she

was a dynamo when it came to breaking away from the common role of a

woman and being one of the first ever to work at a “man’s job”. As a

single mother, she needed to support her daughter, Angela, and did so in

with rugged determination.

As a child, Peggy loved playing with dolls, as did all the girls in that

time. They were modeling their stay-at-home mothers, looking forward to

the day when it would be real. Their “dollies” were with them at home, by

the banks of the creek, and at recess right up until the sixth grade. It was

the age of innocence, when life was simpler, or so it seemed.

Peggy remembers her mother always being there for her. Every

time she hurt herself, she could run to her mom. And when she fell down

a whole flight of stairs, her mother was right there to catch her and


comfort her. Could she do the same for her own children? Time would

tell.

Elementary school was a challenge when no one knew Peggy’s

eyesight was failing. Her fourth grade teacher was mad because Peggy

hadn’t done her homework. Peggy said to the teacher, “What

homework?” It was discovered that she could no longer read the words

on the blackboard and would need glasses.

Also, at the tender age of eleven, Peggy discovered that even

someone as disciplined as a minister’s son could do something wrong. He

was found cheating on a spelling quiz, and Peggy was devastated to learn

that this poor boy had to cheat. What heck must he have gotten at home

if his grades weren’t perfect?

Life becomes a Challenge

Peggy hated Junior High School with a passion, where children

learned to be cruel and had the frustration of their rapidly changing

bodies to spur them on. Even though it was a very difficult time in her

life, at least Peggy did well in school, through very hard work.

High school was better because Peggy made friends and had more

fun. A group of several teens would go bowling, sleigh-riding or simply

playing monopoly. Those games could last for days at a time. And…by her

senior year, Peggy had a boyfriend! Roger was the first boyfriend she’d

ever had. It was fate that brought them together because Roger went to

a different school. Peggy was driving around town with a friend. What

else was there to do on a Saturday night in a tiny town? They would stop

and chat with friends they ran into. On this particular Saturday night,

Peggy found herself talking to a handsome stranger. He asked for her

phone number then asked her out on a date. They continued to date all


through her senior year of high school.

Senior Year, Senior Prom!

What fun! The senior prom was to be held on a ship, with dinner

included. Peggy was so excited about going on a cruise! Nothing like this

had ever been done before by her school. The big night arrived and even

though Roger had to work, he would be able to get off work in time to

meet Peggy afterwards, at the school gym for more prom activities.

Since Peggy didn’t have a date, she reverted to her typical

wallflower position, sitting by the wall and just taking everything in. But

as she sat there she heard something that disturbed her, having been

brought up with honesty and hard work as precious values. The “popular”

people, standing near enough for Peggy to hear them, were discussing

grades. They were talking about the class that was hardest for Peggy,

Government. They were all doing very well in that class, but how, she

wondered. She didn’t have long to wait; they started boasting about the

cheating they did to get by. They didn’t actually call it cheating, but the

way they were able to pass the tests amounted to that. They had all the

notes they needed at their fingertips, but hidden so the teacher couldn’t

see.

When someone said something to Peggy like, “Well we all do it.”

She said, “No I never did.” Then they just laughed at her, thinking she

was naïve. But she was being true to herself and her authentic values.

Also, she knows she would have gotten caught and her parents would

have killed her, she was sure! One boy in that same group had always

been nice to Peggy, speaking to her when the other popular kids

wouldn’t. She had respected him before, so she was terribly disappointed

to hear him talk about cheating in the same cavalier manner as the rest


of the group. “I immediately thought so much less of him.”

“No wonder they all got into college!” Peggy thought. “I may not be

an ‘A’ student, but what I got, I got myself.” Hard work brought Peggy a

lot of satisfaction and fulfillment in her life, even if she didn’t make

millions. But how many millionaires, or non-millionaires for that matter,

feel the freedom of just being themselves and loving their families?

Church and Dating for the First Time

Peggy’s spiritual beginnings were highly unusual. Her father had a

particular viewpoint church; that it was for rich snobs! So of course, he

didn’t want his family to attend church. However, as you can see by

the previous stories, Peggy’s family was strict, with good morals and

values served generously.

At age seventeen, when Peggy started dating, she was able to get a

good look at the church-going folks herself. Her boyfriend, Roger, attend

church with his family, so Peggy joined them. There was Roger with his

eight sisters and brothers, and Peggy. She tried to be open-minded about

church, but could find no good reason to disagree with her dad. First Marriage, Only Child

Finally! Graduation! No more school for Peggy, but she would learn

so much from the school of life, starting with marriage to Roger at the

tender age of eighteen, just two months after graduating. She also got

her first job, and kept her focus on making a living. Working at the school

warehouse supply company, Peggy packaged orders and sent them to the

schools.

Then she got pregnant. Peggy was excited about the possibility of

having a girl, which she wanted, but everyone, including doctors, told her


it was likely to be a boy. This was before everyone had ultrasounds to tell

them what gender the child would be. So Peggy got all sorts of baby boy

clothing from garage sales and second hand stores to get ready. Then she

had a daughter! They named her Angie, and Peggy went to work sewing

pink hearts on all the shirts and pants she had so lovingly collected.

Six weeks after Angie was born, Peggy had to go back to work. Now

they were a family of three, so they needed more money than ever. “We

were broke.” Peggy explains so simply. Good enough reason to get

another job, but at least this one would be closer to home.

So Peggy’s next job was at an egg produce plant.

Going Her Own Way

In a very difficult marriage, where Peggy learned how harsh life can

be, Peggy and Roger were divorced at the tender age of twenty-one. Life

became harsher still when she received no money from him for either

child care or her own support. She needed to make more money! What

would she do?

Then it happened, Peggy landed a job at a stock trailer company

that would not only support her and her daughter, but would give her

new skills; skills that to this day are known mostly to men alone,

electrical skills. Peggy actually learned to wire and tar trailers! “The men

there were very good to me.” Peggy says. They taught her all she needed

to know.

Peggy says, “Angie and I loved to spend time with family, so we

would go and visit my folks in Moorhead, just twenty minutes from

Dunlap, where we had moved after my divorce.”


Life Takes a Happy Turn

Unfortunately, the stock trailer company closed within a year after

Peggy had started to work there and she was on her own again. Now

Angie was four years old and Peggy landed a new job at Farmland Foods.

It was fun for Peggy because she became close friends with the six

people who worked together with her in the same room. She said,

“Sometimes we’d stop somewhere after work and have a drink together.

It was the middle of the night, because we were on the graveyard shift.

There were hundreds of others working at that company, and we were

just odd employees thrown together, but we all became friends. Two of

us became such good friends, we eventually got married!”

Here’s how it happened: About one year after Peggy started

working at Farmland Foods, both she and a man named Michael Burg, in

her original work group, were transferred to a different room to work.

They got to know each other better, and found out they lived in the same

small town of Dunlap.

When Mike’s birthday came along, Peggy decided to give him a gift.

She dropped it off at his house on his thirtieth birthday, surprising and

pleasing him. About one month later, Mike asked Peggy to go with him to

a huge spring flower show in Omaha. That turned out to be their first

date. “I wasn’t one hundred percent sure it was a date, but by the end of

it, I was sure it was. We had a lot of fun together.”

“After that we dated regularly,” Peggy reports, “most of the time

with Angie along. We’d go out for pizza, go to home shows, or car shows

in Omaha, about 45 minutes away. We’d even go to the old drive-in

movies.”


Tying the Knot

Now we’ll let Peggy tell her own story for awhile in her own words:

“Mike and I dated for almost two years. Then one day we decided

to get married. We wanted to get married right away, but could not get

married in our church yet. We were both Catholic, and we were both

divorced. That meant, at the time, that we would have to have our

marriages annulled. It takes about a year for the entire process in the

church. We didn’t want to wait that long!

“Our solution was to elope to Las Vegas! It was the night before

Valentine’s Day, and we had finished dinner, hopped a 9pm flight and

married at midnight with 700 other couples also in town, all wanting to be

the first to get married on Valentine’s Day. We were actually number two!

Our wedding was at ten minutes after midnight, so our official

anniversary is Valentine’s Day. Later on, we did get married in the church

after the lengthy annulment proceedings.

“Michael and I never had children together, but we have Angie and

I have a stepson, Michael Jr.

“Three years after we were married I got to have the most

wonderful experience. It was the most glorious time of my life, because I

got to quit my job and be home for nine magical months of something

most women didn’t even think about back then. I got to be a housewife! I

got to be a mother, taking care of my family, cooking and cleaning and

not killing myself like I did at Farmland Foods. We worked twelve hours a

day and when it got very busy, thirteen days in a row at times. Now it felt

like we got to be a normal family. But it didn’t last.”


Following Our Dreams

“Angie was nine years old at the time and I had to get another job,

but this one was at least more normal hours and closer to home, since we

decided to move to Defiance. I did data entry for a magazine company

there. It was another small town, but there was lots of potential. That

was where we started our photography studio, a dream Mike and I had.”

It’s a good thing that Peggy and Mike had a dream during the day,

working long hours into the night to make it happen, because they didn’t

have much time for nighttime dreams! Eventually, the business grew to

the point that Peggy could quit her data entry job and work on their

photography business during the day. Michael would come home from

work in the afternoon and work with Peggy until late into the night. They

both worked sixteen hours a day for many years.

Peggy’s Best Friend

When Peggy met Pam, she knew they were going to get along

great. They were both independent businesswomen, and they loved to

get outdoors and walk or bike. “It was our way of dealing with the

stress,” Peggy says. They did one or the other every morning, walking

five miles or bicycling fifteen!

Peggy says about Pam, “She liked me unconditionally, and I liked

her unconditionally. We were two peas in a pod and I didn’t have many

friends then. I didn’t have time for them!”


Business Booms

After three years of really hard work, building our business, Michael

was able to quit his job and work full time with the photography business.

Peggy says, “But now we were so busy, we couldn’t keep up! We had to

work Saturday and even Sunday, too. It’s a good thing church started

early on Sunday!”

Finally, Peggy and Mike were able to pay off most of their

mortgage, put some money away, and even take some well-deserved

luxury vacations! They went on cruises and the to Colorado Rockies when

business was slowest, right after Christmas when everyone was too broke

to get photography done!

Community Service – A Teen Club!

Somehow, in youthful exuberance and energy, Peggy and Mike

managed to do one more thing that they felt was important, especially

since they had a teenage daughter; start a teen club! They bought a

huge, old building that used to be a grocery store, fixed it up and opened

on Saturday nights. They hired a DJ, a doorman and a bouncer. But there

were no parents allowed. The teens loved that. Since they owned

the club, Peggy and Mike even made up their own rules for the teens that

would come to dance for just $5 entry fee, and enjoy their reasonably-

priced snacks. It started out slowly, with just five kids the first Saturday,

but then word got around and they had up to one hundred kids there at a

time! They absolutely loved it, and it kept them out of trouble. They even

had New Year’s Eve and Halloween parties that were so much safer than

what the kids would normally have done.


“If a teen showed up drunk,” Peggy says, “we kicked them out and

they didn’t get another chance. It was an example to the other kids, and

they really paid attention. It helped a lot of kids. We still hear from some

of them after they are grown and successful and they still remember how

much that teen club helped them in their youth.”

Peggy says they even made money on this venture/adventure! And

they certainly saved lives. One teen who started hanging out with the

wrong crowd died in a drunk-driving accident. The kids who went to

Peggy and Mike’s teen club avoided most of that, having something really

fun to look forward to every weekend. Angie even met her husband

there! The teen club kept going strong for eight years; then it was time

for more change.

Time for a Big Move

Peggy and Mike lived in Defiance for twenty-five years. During that

time, they had traveled to Chadron, Nebraska to visit their daughter,

Angie who had been living with her father for two years. She was

graduating from high school. After Angie’s graduation, they decided since

they were so close to it, they would visit Hot Springs, South Dakota to

see what it was like. When they saw the Battle Mountain area, it was love

at first sight! They saw a for sale sign in that area, found the real estate

agent the same day, made an offer immediately and that very afternoon,

found themselves owners of property in Hot Springs!

Peggy remembers, “We always did stuff like that. We didn’t monkey

around; we just got right to it.”

Now what? The year was 1995. They would have to wait until they

could semi-retire to move to Hot Springs. Finally, in 2007, it was time to

make their move. They did have to start all over again, and immediately


opened 7 Hills Photo in Hot Springs on 6th Street right off Highway 18.

Peggy said it was the hardest time they had ever had, financially. She

started working part time at the Pine Hills Retirement home as well as

continuing to manage the photo studio. But the love in her life still

abounds, “I’ve met a lot of wonderful elderly people at Pine Hills.” Peggy

says with her positive, loving and happy nature.

What She Learned From Their Business and Adversity

Peggy learned that being truthful and hardworking; always doing

the right thing, makes you successful. She says, “If you tell a lie, you

have to keep telling lies and it keeps on going, it never ends. When

you’re honest, it always pays off.” Peggy learned how to gain people’s

trust in business, just by being her honest-to-goodness self.

“In my tough marriage, I learned that it’s important to find

someone who will be faithful to you and to whom marriage means

something.”

Peggy’s Political Views and Hopes For the Future “I vote independent, whatever the views of the politician.

I hope that everyone in the country could have food and health care and

a home.”

Peggy’s Social Views and Hopes for the Future “I hope that everyone will just do what they know is right.”


Peggy’s Spiritual Views and Beliefs “I would love it if politicians and other leaders would quit trying to

convince young people that killing babies (abortion) is right.”

Peggy’s Hopes for Her Children and Grandchildren “That we can all get through this recession and survive.”

A Few Words from Peggy’s Daughter, Angie Angie still lives in Defiance, IA with her husband and two

daughters. She says all Peggy’s and Mike’s grandchildren are girls, since

her half-brother, Michael Jr. just had his first baby: a girl! Angie says

these are some of her favorite memories with her mother:

“When I was in Junior High School, I got a dog that fell in love with

Mom. We had been working on Michael for years to let us get a dog, and

finally he relented. We went to the local kennel to get a puppy and saw

some Cocker Spaniels, which we thought we’d buy. But then we heard

they were going to sell the mother! Mom and I both felt so bad for her

that we decided to get her instead of a pup. She was intended to be for

me, but eventually ended up being Mom’s. We named her Mopsy. She

was so quiet and still that people would say, ‘Oh how cute that statue is

by your couch there!’

“Mopsy went with us to visit nursing home residents along with

other dogs my mom would bring in the future. She was always doing stuff

like that. After I left home, Mopsy stayed on with mom; she wouldn’t

have gone anywhere else!

“When Mom and Mike lived just down the street, we’d visit every

day. We also went to Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City quite a bit for mini-


vacations. Mom and Mike always had their own business, so I work now

for people who own a small business in Panama, IA.

“My mom and I both really enjoy shopping, especially at garage

sales or antique stores. We often went to the rich districts of Omaha.

You’d be amazed at what people would just give away for free because

they had so much money, they could! I love to watch Mom haggle. She’s

really good at it, so I learned how to haggle from her.

“I love my mom.”

Peggy’s Loves “I enjoy being in my kitchen and cooking. I also love riding through the

hills on motorcycle or other vehicle in any season.”

Peggy’s Favorites Favorite Animals, pets - Dogs, especially Cocker Spaniels

Favorite Foods – Desserts - cookies and bars, seafood

Favorite Movies – Any John Wayne movies, especially Hatari

Favorite Music – Country and Western

Favorite Book – Gone with the Wind

Favorite Vacations - Cruise anywhere

Favorite types of humor/jokes – anything funny, I love Maxine cards.

Favorite art forms – Western paintings

Favorite game - Scrabble

Favorite Types of Entertainment – Gathering of family and friends, having

people visit and stay over with them.


All about Mike

Facts: Michael Burg was born to Norm and Norma Burg in the city of Des

Moines, IA, February 1st, 1952, where he grew up as the oldest of seven

siblings, five sisters and one brother.

Mike’s Story

Mike came in a fighter; he’s still fighting, and mostly winning!

The economy was not good when Mike grew up, at least not in his

house. His father worked very long hours, and even on Sundays after the

family got home from mass at their Catholic Church as an auto-body

technician, then later an airplane mechanic. Mike’s dad had grown up in

the Depression and retained a Depression mentality. “He was the most

tight-fisted guy I’ve ever met.” Mike reports. But his mother made sure

the kids got what they needed and even wanted. They also got some

treats now and then. For example: the local day-old Hostess store had

specials and Mike liked Hostess Pies. There was also a local candy factory,

“Cherry Mash” and the whole family would go sometimes and buy big

bags of Cherry Mash for a good price.


Harsh Punishment

“Spare the rod and spoil the child” was his father’s motto. Mike’s

dad was very strict and the least little infraction would invoke his father’s

wrath via the belt. Mike did learn from this harrowing experience, as hard

as it was. First of all, he learned respect; secondly, he learned how not to

treat his children. He would not misuse his power as a parent, but give

spankings rarely. He would be much more kind and understanding.

Mike says, “Even though I didn’t see my children a lot as a divorced

parent, I feel like I worked with them better than my father did with me.

If my children lied, they had a spanking coming. I didn’t just dish it out

for any reason like my dad.”

Finding Enjoyment

Mike did have some fun, especially outdoors. He played baseball,

hide and seek, and in the winter he went ice-skating.

The opposite of Peggy, Mike grew up in a big city, had stricter

parents and had a very religious family, attending Catholic Church

regularly as well as Catholic school up to eighth grade, where it ended.

“Like any other boy, I pushed my luck with the teachers. They were

all nuns, but I still dared to talk or mess around behind their backs. Of

course I got caught, but not often! The nuns didn’t spare the rod either!”

Mike reports. That was a different day and age, where corporal

punishment was allowed in schools, especially private schools like his.

One day, a nun was selling old library books in the classroom for

some kind of fundraiser. The children were very bored, so they started

throwing wadded-up paper around the room. Mike was actually behaving

pretty well, but then the nun turned to the class and said, “If you don’t


want to do this, just say so.”

Well, she didn’t expect an answer evidently, because Mike said, “I

don’t want to do this” and got in trouble for it! The teacher put him in the

back of the classroom as punishment.

Middle school began, still the same Catholic School, and something

wonderful happened in winter! They filled the parking lot with water so

the kids could ice skate every day after it froze. It stayed frozen all

winter. Evidently Iowa is even colder than Minnesota in the winter! How

cold is it? One woman actually froze to death on the highway after

walking on the highway to find help for her stalled car. And that was just

recently. The weather was even more severe in Des Moines when Mike

grew up there.

A Champ is Born!

“I didn’t get in too many fights in school, but then I went to public

school in 9th grade and I got punched around a lot by the school bullies,

but I took care of them!” says Mike. “Every time I won a fight with one

bully, he’d send his friend over the next day and I’d take care of them.

This kept going on until I had to fight the head bully, who we’ll call Bob.

The school counselor never called me into his office for any of the other

fights. I think he secretly wanted those guys to learn a lesson. But now

he had to call me in, because Bob’s parents complained. You see, I’d

broken his nose.”

Now the counselor told Bob, the head bully, “You are responsible if

any of your friends go after Michael again, you will be in trouble, not

Michael.”

It’s obvious that Mike was just defending himself, and just as

obvious that he was really good at fighting, maybe he learned something


from his father about being pro-active! He was certainly a top-notch

fighter to beat all the bullies in his school, one after another. After that,

he just ignored them and went on with his education.

Hard Work and Escape

In grades ten through twelve Mike went to a technical high school

in the afternoons. Morning was the regular high school curriculum, but

then he had to drive across town for training in aviation mechanics. As if

those days weren’t full enough, Mike took on different jobs to earn more

money and perhaps even better than that, escape from home.

His jobs consisted of picking up branches from felled trees for the

State Parks, both during the year and as a summer job. Lots of work was

available during the time of rampant Dutch Elm disease. Many trees had

to be cut down by lumberjacks and Mike was there to pick up the pieces.

But he learned he could make more money as a bus boy, then waiter,

then cook, working his way up at a local hotel. But even after he was

promoted, if the bus boy didn’t show up, Mike had to bus tables as well!

By now Michael was of legal age to drive and could afford a car,

especially this one. He got it for just thirty-five dollars! That was a deal

worth waiting for, and now he had his freedom. What teenager doesn’t

love how owning your own care can give you the taste of freedom?

After the hotel job, Michael worked for a veterinarian in a not-so-

desirable position scooping animal waste, but it sure did sound good;

“Assistant Kennel-man!”


Married Young

Now Michael had wheels, he had money and he was ready to be a

man about town. Dates were on, when he wasn’t out working. He dated

three girls in high school, the last one named Jackie in his senior year.

One thing Mike had in common with Peggy, they both got married just

after leaving high school, but Michael beat Peggy by one month! He and

Jackie were wed just one month after they graduated from high school.

Another thing Mike and Peggy had in common; their first marriages were

really, really hard learning experiences. Mike says, “Yeah, we were young

and dumb.” But really, how can you know what you don’t know until you

know it?

He learned the hard way, but has a great gift from that marriage as

Peggy has from hers, but he has the boys. One named Michael (junior)

and one named Corie. There’s a story behind Corie’s name. Mike tells it

like this, “When he was born, we didn’t have a name for him yet. Jackie

was in surgery, having a caesarian, and I was in the waiting room looking

at the coffee machine. There was a bottle of Jack Daniels sitting next to

the coffee pot and those were my drinking days, so I think that’s what

drew my attention. The name on the machine was Cory. It was a Cory

Coffeemaker and I thought Cory was a good name for a boy. Jackie said

okay, but that it had to be spelled like her name, with an ‘ie’ on the end

instead of a ‘y.’” After graduation, Mike discovered he didn’t really have

any desire to be an aviation mechanic, so he worked at the highest

paying job he could find in a meat packing plant.

A New Beginning and Best Friends

After his divorce Mike started a new career using a skill he’d


learned from my technical school classes in mechanics; welding. He also

met a woman named Patricia who he dated for eight years. “I still had to

pay child support, which was quite high back then, so I needed a really

good job. I decided to go back to the packing house business, but this

time at a higher-paying company, Farmland Foods which, luckily,

happened to be in the same area my girlfriend lived, Defiance, Iowa”

according to Mike. This was 1974.

Eventually, Patricia and Mike broke up. Then he met Peggy at work.

They became good friends over time as she showed herself to be a very

giving person. Mike broke his leg and Peggy was “very helpful to me.”

Mike says, “When you’re an invalid, you find out who your friends really

are. So a bad experience can turn out to be a very important part of your

life.”

Mike had another friend who also helped him a lot during that time,

and his name was also Michael! They met each other at the bowling alley

that his friend Michael owned. Michael worked for his father serving food

and drinks, and that’s when Mike could be counted on to drink! Mike and

Michael had a lot in common. They both liked to drink and gamble, hunt

and fish. Two really tough guys!

Mike says Michael’s family was very giving. Mike enjoyed a lot of

time with his friend Michael, especially since Michael was a bachelor until

he was forty-eight years old! He just had his first child.

The Second Time Around

Back to our Michael and Peggy; you’ve heard their dating history in

Peggy’s story and her version of their wedding. Now here’s Michaels: “So

one night, we were getting ready to take a trip to Vegas and I said to

Peggy,


“While we’re there, we might as well get married.”

Peggy said, “Yeah, right, sure!”

Mike replied, his feelings somewhat hurt, “You just shot me down!

Here I’m asking you to marry me and I didn’t even ask my girlfriend of

eight years!”

But of course, Peggy agreed to marry him and they boarded a plane

to Las Vegas along with Michael’s best friend who turned out to be the

best man, witness and maid of honor, too! After all, you only need one

witness in Las Vegas. However, the best man’s camera broke just as he

was about to take wedding photos. How ironic. Michael, the famous

photographer has no wedding photos! And maybe it’s just as well. Michael

was pretty plastered. Michael says, “I don’t remember much after that

plane trip.” Here’s why:

After Peggy had put her bridal bouquet up in the hatch for the trip,

the flight attendant said,

“Oh, are you getting married in Vegas?”

` Peggy happily replied, “Yes!”

Then the flight attendant said, “Well, the drinks are on us!”

Michael liked to drink back then, so he took full advantage of the

situation!

After their honeymoon week in Las Vegas, Mike and Peggy went to

the airport, but couldn’t check their luggage. What was going on? They

learned that the flights were all canceled due to airline bankruptcy.

Northwest Orient was going belly up! They eventually found another flight

on some obscure airlines called Richland Airlines, but Mike says it was the

worst flight he’s ever had! There certainly were some bad omens on their

wedding trip, but they’ve been married twenty-six years to-date. After

waiting the appointed year after their annulments, Peggy and Mike did

have another wedding at their Catholic Church one year later. And


they’ve got photos to prove it this time!

Creative Genius

Are you wondering how Mike got into photography? Well, his

girlfriend Patricia had given him a camera as a gift one year when she

was taking commercial art classes in college. Evidently, photography was

part of the curriculum and she thought Michael would enjoy it as well.

And boy did he! He started photographing beautiful landscapes and

captivating wildlife. His photos were stunning and he proudly showed

them to his friends at work. Mike says, “They basically forced me into the

photography business.”

Someone would say, “You’re so good, you should do my kid’s

wedding!” and ask him to photograph other events. Michael did so

willingly, but it actually cost him money! His friends just figured he

enjoyed it, so they would buy him drinks to pay for his labors, but it

didn’t even pay for all the film he had to use to get enough good photos,

as is usual. And, he missed overtime work at the packing house on

Saturdays which paid double!

Michael started entering photography contests and did very well,

piling up ribbons until he had to stuff them in a shoebox, then many

shoeboxes! Eventually he won first prize in the Iowa State Fair, quite a

remarkable achievement, especially for an amateur. This success had to

go somewhere, and he had to start making money rather than continue

to just spend it on photography.


Take this Job and…

After Mike and Peggy were married, they talked about how hard it

was to keep working for other people and how it affected their lives. Mike

basically gave Peggy a choice, “We’re either going to do this

(photography) for other people, or not do it at all!”

Peggy said, “Let’s do it. And if we’re going to do it, we have to

invent a price list.”

The rest is history. They got right to work on it and built an

incredible business. Peggy ran the business while Mike took the pictures

in-between his grueling work schedule of twelve hour days. They sent

film to a lab until they got so busy Mike could quit his job, build their own

lab and hire people to help them run the business! They were so

successful they could take luxury vacations and sometimes go to Las

Vegas so Mike could enjoy his gambling adventures, too.

Major Changes

Eventually, it was time to leave Defiance and strike out somewhere

else. With digital cameras becoming more popular, people thought they

could take professional quality photos themselves, so it was a good time

to make a move. Hot Springs was where they chose to live and retire, but

first they had to make more money.

While waiting for the right time to move to Hot Springs, and in the

meantime, they started storing some of their little-used items in a garage

they had built on their newly-acquired property.


Gambling has its Moments

On one trip, Michael outwitted everyone. Peggy left one hour before him

in the car and he told her he would be at one or two different places on

the road. One might be the Bunkhouse Restaurant in Valentine,

Nebraska. The other might be at the Prairie Wind Casino in South Dakota.

Peggy picked up her friend and her brother, which may have slowed

her down, because, as Michael says, “Somehow, I got ahead of them.”

Peggy and crew saw Michael’s U-Haul truck in the casino parking lot

as they whizzed past. But Michael was busy gambling, having a good old

time, but only for about half an hour. He got back on the road and arrived

in Hot Springs at their property and found the whole crew, plus Peggys

dad, who lived there, waiting outside for him. When he pulled up in the

truck they started teasing him saying;

“Well, let’s see that big wad of money?” They were laughing, Mike

says and he was happy to call their bluff. He pulled out a big wad of

money and still, they were skeptical. Peggy was used to him having lots

of one dollar bills in his pocket from their teen club. Mike remembers,

“The kids always paid with ones.”

So Peggy said, “Oh yeah, those are all ones.”

Michael ceremoniously unrolled his wad of winnings and fanned it

out, showing them all hundred dollar bill after hundred dollar bill until it

seemed they would never end.

Michael said, “There’s $4100.00 here.”

And that’s when Peggy screamed.


Keeping the Faith

It was a tough economic time on top of the digital camera craze, so

they have struggled, and Mike got a job with the local newspaper, still

using his photography and graphics talent. But Mike and Peggy keep the

faith, loving the folks they’ve met in Hot Springs. Mike isn’t working

himself to death like he was in Defiance. He says, ““I was my own boss

forever it seems. Now I have a boss. We all get along fine and I have a

good job. All my experience with people here in Hot Springs has been

warm and friendly. It’s sad that I’ve moved away from my family, but

that’s how it is. Coming out here was a kind of peace of mind, because

business in Defiance was kind of a rat race – it consumed all my time.

Now I have time for myself.”

Now, with more time for himself and what’s important to him, Mike

is taking a ministry class on his own at his church, because Peggy has to

work that night. And he even joined a photography club here and has met

some really nice people through that as well. One of them was

discouraged and wanted to quit.

Mike says, “Perhaps it was because we critique each other, so I

told him, “You have to be able to take the criticism, because it’s what

helps us make each other better photographers. If everyone said, ‘Oh

that’s a really great photo’, how would that help?”

Obviously, Mike’s still a fighter, and fighting for other’s many times,

helping them stay in the game, just like he is and does and always has!


Michael’s Political Views and Hopes for His Country

“I only vote one way, and that is pro-life, whoever is standing for

that. I hope my country is going to be there in financial strength for

future generations of my family.”

Michael’s Social Views and Hopes for the Future

When we grew up- in the 1960s and 1970s, it was all about love

and entertainment and fun. We never gave a thought to money or

education. It was just there. Now it’s more about war and hate and

drugs, which are deadlier than ever. Young people have much stronger

pressures on them. I hope my family is able to survive and love one

another through whatever is to come.

Michael’s Spiritual Views and Beliefs

I firmly believe that spirituality helps develop the personality. I

hope that parents in my family continue to pass that on to their children.

It’s my hope that all religions could come to love and respect one

another and come together someday in that way.

Michael’s Hopes for His Children and Grandchildren I would wish for my children and their heirs that they all get along


and love one another, visit each other, and help each other.

Michael’s Son, Michael Junior,

Reveals Wonderful Secrets about

His Dad

“Dad did things for me that no one else ever took the time to do.

He had the faith and trust in me to teach me to drive before I even took

Driver’s Education. That was a big risk, and he even let me use his own

car! Maybe my mom and stepdad didn’t think I was ready. But Dad had

faith in me that no one else had. He took a chance that no one else

would. Even though I like to think I was a good kid, I wasn’t the most

responsible one, so he was risking his own life as well! That was so cool.

Dad was cool; Dad was number one, because now I knew he really did

care about me.”

Michael Jr. didn’t see his dad very much after his parents were

divorced. There was a falling out that made it near impossible - his

mother just was not keen on that. So Michael grew up with a stepfather.

Finally, his mother softened up when Mike Jr.’s paternal grandfather died.

That’s when she let Mike Jr. see his dad. Finally, he would get to know

the wonderful, positive Mike Senior.

“Dad also taught me work on cars, and to know what they needed.

Before that I just thought you got in the car, turned the key and drove!

No one took the time to teach me about these things, like gas and oil,

etc., except my Dad.

“Seeing Dad grow as a photographer was huge. He started so

small, with contests, etc., but then to see him get better and better was


amazing. Even to this day I feel so proud. People ask me, doesn’t it make

you feel like a shadow being a “junior?” To this day, I still say, ‘No, I’m

proud to be a junior and to have my father’s name!’

“I started staying with Dad for about a month in the summers. One

day he said to me, ‘I’ve got a great idea for a float. Interested?’ We had a

Fourth of July parade coming up soon, and Dad’s wedding photography

business, ‘Event Photography’ could be promoted. I was in. Now what?

“Dad’s idea was to dress me and Peggy up in wedding clothes, but

then we had Halloween masks on. We were also supposed to be drunk!

There was a camera on the float, so we posed for our ‘wedding photo’;

then threw candy out to the crowd. For me it was a really fun ‘outside the

box’ moment in my life.

“I’ve had a lot of ‘firsts’ with my Dad since we’ve gotten to know

each other better. The last ten years have been wonderful; my first trip to

Las Vegas, my first cruise, my first time out of the country! That was a

really big deal to me and my wife. And it was great to be with Dad and

Mom (Peggy).

“One of the things I learned from Dad, is that it’s important to stay

positive. He says, ‘Yes, there are bad things to remember, but why waste

time on that? There’s not enough focus on the positive in this world and

too much on the negative. It’s okay to be happy!’ That’s what Dad taught

me.”

Michael’s Favorites

Favorite Animals and Pets – Dogs, Augie the old black dog was his

favorite. She was a Heinz 57. Mike found her in a ditch after she’d been

hit by a car.

Favorite Foods – Burgers and Fries

Favorite Movies – Star Trek, The Forbidden Planet


Favorite Music – Hard Rock

Favorite Book – The Bible

Favorite Vacation Spots – Las Vegas

Favorite art forms – All kinds of art, galleries, and museums

Favorite game – Poker

Favorite Type of Entertainment – Used to be gambling, now just hanging

out with friends.

mike and peggy burg - debbie johnson books · all about peggy . facts: peggy lee archer was born...

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