NAPA - July 24, 1922-Oct. 22, 2009

Margaret Anna Appels Pranger, M.D., a practicing physician in Napa County since 1968, was born in the Hague, the Netherlands, the oldest child and only daughter of the late Jan Appels and Henrietta Van der Linden, both professional teachers in Holland.

She attended the M.M. Bording School, a private girls’ school, and in 1940 graduated from the Stedelyk Gymnasium, a secondary school. She entered the University of Leiden in the fall of 1940, four months after the German occupation of the Netherlands. She attended until the university was closed after students protested the Nazi persecution of the Jews.

She transferred to the University of Amsterdam and attended from December 1941 until March of 1943 when the Nazis closed all the universities in Holland.

On Aug. 7, 1943, Dr. Pranger married her husband, the late John J. Pranger, and the couple had their first child, Maarten, in 1944, three days before D-Day. The young family survived the now-historic and devastating occupation by the Nazis with its organized plunder of the country, severe food rationing, “Hunger Winter,” house searches and forced labor.

In 1946, the war over, Dr. Pranger resumed her studies and earned her B.S. degree and medical degree at the University of Amsterdam. She served her internship at the Wilhelmina and Amsterdam City Hospital, and in 1952 became staff physician for the Department of Child Hygiene of Municipal, Medicine arid Health for the City of Amsterdam.

In November 1955, Dr. and Mr. Pranger, now with their family of four children, ages 3 to 11, immigrated to the United States to make their home in Santa Barbara.

Dr. Pranger took a position as nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara and later worked as a laboratory technician at Blanchard-Dickson Lab in Santa Barbara. During this time, she accomplished all of her examinations including the Board of Medical Examiners in 1967, and qualified to practice medicine in California.

She received her certificate of naturalization in 1962 in Santa Barbara County.

Dr. Pranger completed her internship at Cottage and Santa Barbara General Hospital in 1968 and moved to Napa to become a staff physician and surgeon at Napa State Hospital in charge of two alcoholic patient wards.

She completed her residency at Napa and Sonoma State hospitals and in 1972 was appointed staff psychiatrist at Solano County Mental Health Service and consultant to the Solano County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program.

She established a private practice in psychiatry in Napa in 1973 and in 1977 earned her Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Her husband, John, died in 1980 after 36 years of marriage and she has been widowed the past 29 years.

She is a former member of the American Medical Society on Alcohol, the American Medical Women’s Association, and a former president of the Napa Valley Orchid Society. She was a member of the California Medical Association, the Napa County Medical Society and served as the organization’s representative on the Napa County Mental Health Advisory Board. Dr. Pranger was a Rotarian and a board member of Napa Republican Women.

Dr. Pranger is survived by son Maarten Pranger and daughter-in-law Karen Pranger of Morgan Hill; daughter Lt. Col. Ingrid M. Pranger (Ret., Marines) of Oceanside; son Jan Steven Pranger of E. Wenchee, Wash.; and daughter the Honorable Francisca P. Tisher (judge Napa Superior Court) and son-in-law Tim Tisher of Napa; eight grandchildren: Alex, Tawnly, Sarema, Natasha, Justin, Andrew, Anne and Paul; four great-grandchildren: Ryan, Hunter, Sarah and Cassidy; and brother Abraham F. R. Appels. She is preceded in death by brother Henrik Jan Appels.

The family would like to thank Dr. Dugan, Dr. Healy and Dr. Srebro, Hospice of Napa Valley and care provider Rey John “R.J.” Lingeo.

A memorial service celebrating Dr. Pranger’s life will be held 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, at First Presbyterian Church in Napa.

Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.treadwayandwiggerfuneralchapel.com.