Peggy G. LeBaron

LEBARON, Peggy Grayum died at 10:37 am, March 10, 2014, in Hudson, FL, after a brief illness. She was born in Cleveland, OK on June 27, 1915, to the late Sadie (Cardwell) and Charles Tennyson Grayum, who was one-half Cherokee Indian, which gave Mrs. LeBaron pride in her heritage. She was preceded in death by her loving and beloved husband of 55 years, Elwood Harvey LeBaron of Conroe, TX; her twin sister, Rae G. Baird of Kilgore, TX; and as well as six brothers and sisters. Her family moved to East Texas when she was a teenager, where she met and married Elwood on Nov. 5, 1933. The LeBarons subsequently moved to Lufkin, TX, then to Abbeville, LA. After Mr. LeBaron retired, the couple moved to Conroe, TX. After her husband's death, Mrs. LeBaron moved to Port Richey in 2002, where she lived at Regency Residence until her death. Mrs. LeBaron is survived by her daughters, Dixie Ware Mayard (late husband Ronney) of Abbeville, LA, and Barbara L. Fredricksen of Hudson; grandchildren, Stanley G. Ware of Abbeville, LA, Angela Kay Ware Perfetti and her husband Sergio of Houston, TX, Fredrick John Fredricksen III and his wife Jin Moon Fredricksen of Salt Lake City, UT, and Philip Ryan Mayard of San Francisco, CA; many nieces and nephews; and many dear friends at Regency and throughout the Nature Coast. Mrs. LeBaron enjoyed live theater, fashion, home decorating, reading, travel, classical and swing music, Broadway show tunes, gardening, jigsaw puzzles and NASCAR. She was an accomplished clothing designer and seamstress and owned her own clothing business in Texas. She was bookkeeper, flower arrangement specialist and buyer advisor at Louise Amelia's Gift and Flower Shop in Abbeville, LA, until her retirement in 1978. She traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Her favorite journey was a train trip from Toronto to Vancouver, Canada, partially aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, followed by a week's stay on Vancouver Island, though she had a special affection for the Orsay, the Impressionist Museum in Paris, France, the Tower of London, England, and the St. Petersburg Museum of History in St. Petersburg. Mrs. LeBaron was described as a "firecracker" and a "pistol" by many of her friends, both for her high energy and her quick mind. She had completed the Sunday crossword puzzles and Word Jumble in the Tampa Bay Times and was enjoying a good novel just hours before her death. Her friends at Regency Residence remember her most for her friendly, outgoing ways and for her carefully assembled wardrobe. She loved choosing just the right outfit for breakfast each morning, saying that it started the day out right. Other friends recall her enthusiasm for live theater, especially Richey Suncoast Theatre, Show Palace Dinner Theatre and Stage West Community Playhouse, as well as her favorite, the Hernando Symphony Orchestra, in which her dear friend Mike Konrad plays clarinet. She teased former Show Palace owner Nick Sessa that when she reached her 100th birthday, she would dance on her favorite table, No. 42, at his theater. Mrs. LeBaron will be sorely missed by many, especially her daughter Barbara, who was her near-constant companion for the past 12 years. "I called her my running buddy," Ms. Fredricksen said. "We always said her real name was "Peggy Go," as she was always ready to jump in the car and take off for another adventure. No local services are planned at this time. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sptimes/obituary.aspx?n=peggy-grayum-lebaron&pid=170132082#sthash.GiC9BGZZ.dpuf