Margaret "Peggy" Stewart

Peggy Stewart died Friday, March 20, 2015, eighty glorious years old, with only the last seven complicated by breast cancer and its inconveniences. She was born on February 17, 1935, in Long Beach, California, to Harold and Norma Reiber, teachers and recent Canadian emigrants. A first generation American, Peggy ironically also claimed ancestors who emigrated on the Mayflower in 1620. That lineage – new and yet old – in many ways epitomized Peggy's life view. She lived in exuberance, rooted in family, open to new experiences and people, reluctant to miss out, and eager to stay until the end.

She loved her husband Kent, whom she met in high school algebra class, their first date born of a dare from her younger brother, Norm. After sharing Cal Berkeley, Peggy and Kent were married in Davis, California, on June 10, 1956. Their adventures continued through 58 years of marriage, four children, nine grandchildren, homes in nine cities, and travel to five continents.

At Berkeley, Peggy earned her BS and the Borden Award for the outstanding home economics student, and at Florida State, her MS in food chemistry. Her favorite job was staff officer with the Food and Nutrition Board at the National Academy of Sciences. She served as faculty with Virginia Tech's Center for the Study of Science in Society, and co-edited the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis with Kent.

Her signature color was red, her earrings Austintacious (after finally piercing her ears at age 56), and her pie crust unrivaled. She enjoyed playing cribbage and giggling over champagne. She lacked vanity and prejudice, had little time for gossip. She had a penchant for all things gardening (evidenced by master gardener status in both Virginia and Texas and her 170 gardening books) and for organizing (alphabetizing the wall-to-wall home library). She once shared a limousine with Lady Bird, talking native grasses and family for the ride from the Wildflower Center to Bamberger Ranch. She often shared her musings on her reading (belonging to three book clubs), and would peruse a used bookstore contentedly. She always stayed at the dinner table for the last morsels of conversation.

In the Teaneck and Silver Spring kids-in-school-years, she pitched tents for camping in Maine, snuck out for strolls at Bethany Beach, and didn't fish on Gallatin River fly-fishing trips. She and Kent traveled more exotically through work, Quest, Road Scholar and Elder Hostel - from Japan to Alaska to Greece and, closer to home, to virtually every Anasazi ruin. Her travel mantra: "We can sleep when we get home." The Montana family cabin, however, was made for sleeping, and for awe of wildflowers, gardening with grandchildren, and cooking with the gathered family of 19.

Peggy and Kent moved to Austin in 1996, and quickly found the city's people, ideas and quirkiness a fit. Peggy joined, then led, the Travis County Master Gardeners Association, serving as its President in 1999-2000. TCGMA created the Peggy Stewart Award in her honor, and the Texas Master Gardeners Association named her Master Gardener Emeritus. Then, after enjoying UT Quest, Peggy became its chair in 2004-05, overseeing the planning and organizing a year of lectures and seminars for this third age university program. Kent and Peggy enjoyed years of duplicate bridge with the Bridge Center of Austin. Most recently, she served as Secretary of the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area.

As the children of UC Davis professors, Peggy and Kent launched their children into the world with a strong work ethic and – the required minimum – an undergraduate education. What did Peggy gift her children? Beth remembers her mom's common sense advice. From her mom, Cindy learned to write boldly and persuade gently. Rich inherited her sense of curiosity and adventure. Rob knew her as the most loyal soccer fan.

She is survived by her husband, Kent Stewart; her children, Beth Barnes, Cindy Stewart, Rich Stewart, and Rob Stewart; her grandchildren, Erin, Laura, David, Paige, Sam, Grace, Lily, Jack and Casey; her brother, Norm Reiber; her sisters-in-law, Carol Kinney and Jane Stewart (and husband Neil Burkhardt); and her children-in-law, Craig Barnes, Andy Austin, Elizabeth Stewart, and Cindy Fuentes.

Services will be held at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, 4700 Grover Avenue, on Thursday, March 26th at 5:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Peggy Stewart Memorial Fund at People's Community Clinic, 2909 North Interstate 35 Frontage Rd, Austin, TX 78722

(https://www.austinpcc.org/donate/).