Margaret H. "Peggy" Golembiewski

Margaret (“Peggy”) Golembiewski died gently and peacefully October 26 in hospice at her home in Athens. She followed close behind Robert (“Dr. Bob G.”), her husband of almost 60 years, who died New Year’s Day.

Born June 23, 1935, in suburban Trenton, New Jersey, Peggy was the daughter of Alice (née Grauer) and James Hughes and the adored much-younger sister of Cathy (later Stanton) and Anne (later Brenna). She graduated from Trenton’s Cathedral High School in 1952 and received her B.A. in 1956 from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland (now Notre Dame of Maryland University) in Baltimore.

When she was a junior and an honor roll student in high school, Peggy went on a double date on which she met Bob. He was a Princeton University man who had been a star pitcher on the Trenton Catholic HS team for which her current boyfriend had played catcher. Deeming her “the prettiest girl in Trenton,” with “a great sense of humor and fun,” Bob soon won Peg’s affections. They dated for six years, much of the time long-distance, marrying soon after her college graduation.

Peggy taught second grade in public school for two years in Wallingford, Connecticut, while Bob finished his doctorate. She and Bob had three children—Alice, Hope, and Geoffrey—during a period in which they lived in several college towns, from Princeton to Champaign, Illinois. With three offspring in diapers, Peggy earned her master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois. In 1964, Peggy and Bob chose UGA from among several universities that had made job offers, after she asked, “Where do they need us the most?” They arrived at a time of great social and institutional change and served as beacons of enlightened ideals.

In Athens, Peggy was active at St. Joseph Church and School and at Recording for the Blind, for which she recorded hundreds of books, often the most difficult scholarly ones requested. For decades she was a devoted lector, choir member, and Eucharistic minister at UGA’s Catholic Center. She worked at community centers in low-income areas and stood up in a quiet but tenacious fashion to the prejudices she encountered. Later, she was a regional board member for the Arthritis Foundation.

Above all, Peggy was devoted to God and her family. She served with a sweet spirit, always putting the needs and interests of others above her own. With kindness and grace, Peggy supported Bob in his roles as UGA professor, management consultant, and father. Peggy was a wonderful mother who dedicated her life to teaching, helping, and encouraging her children. As the family grew, she delighted in her precious grandchildren and inspired them as well through her love and example.

Peggy lives in the hearts of her children, Alice H.G. Phillips of New York City; Hope OBrian of Raleigh, North Carolina; and Dr. Geoffrey Golembiewski of Athens; of her grandchildren, Matthew and Stephen Phillips, Daniel and Faith OBrian, Elizabeth and Eleanor Golembiewski, and Hannah Griffin; of her caregivers, Melissa, Ann, Tracie, and Willie; of her nieces and nephews and their children; and of the Athens-area residents who lit up when they saw her approaching, always smiling.

A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at the University of Georgia Catholic Center on Monday, November 14, at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Georgia Development / Gift Accounting, 394 S. Milledge Ave., Athens, GA 30602 for application to the Margaret H. and Robert T. Golembiewski Professorship. Checks should be made payable to The UGA Foundation, with “Golembiewski Professorship/Fund 30-711540” on the memo line.

Online condolences may be offered at www.bernsteinfuneralhome.com.

Bernstein Funeral Home and Cremation Service is in charge of arrangements.