Margaret "Peggy" Joy Habegger

Margaret (Peggy) Habegger died in her sleep on Friday, September 15, 2017. Peggy was born on August 20, 1928 to Gertrude and Anderson Joy in Seattle, Washington. She had two younger brothers, Doug and Jim. Peggy attended Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington, where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and met some of her dearest lifelong friends.

Peggy and Robert (Bob) Habegger were married on September 9, 1950. They had three daughters: Ann, born 1952, Jane, born 1955 and Sally, born 1959. Peggy was a devoted wife and mother to her lucky daughters. She was also an excellent cook, a very good conversationalist and she had a good sense of humor. She was warm and inviting, and enjoyed entertaining friends and family at their family home. Peggy served as her daughters' Brownie and Girl Scout leaders and was active in the PTA at their schools. She also chauffeured her daughters to numerous music and sports practices and tournaments. Peggy and Bob lived in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle their entire marriage until 2009, when they moved to the Mirabella Seattle Retirement Community.

Peggy was very active in her community. She was the President of the Board of Trustees of Seattle Children's Hospital, where she served on the board for 33 years. She met many dignitaries serving in this capacity including Queen Elizabeth and numerous pro-athletes and celebrities. She also oversaw significant changes and improvements to the hospital during her tenure. Peggy advocated for children in Olympia, WA and Washington D.C. She chaired the first Children's Miracle Network telethon fundraiser and ran one of the last Penny Drive fundraisers. Peggy received the Anna Clise Award in 2012 at the annual Seattle Children's Hospital Guild Association Luncheon, thanking and honoring her for her many years of service as a Board Member and volunteer at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Peggy was also very active in the Episcopal Church, serving as the Junior and Senior Warden for St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and on many Diocese of Olympia Committees. She received the Bishop's Cross for service to the community and Church from the Diocese of Olympia of the Episcopal Church. She was also a Board Member of the Episcopal Church Foundation in New York City and she was thrilled to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu on a trip with this Board to South Africa.

Peggy was a Board member of the Junior League of Seattle and received the Dorothy Stimson Bullitt Award in 1998 at Benaroya Hall, recognizing her extraordinary volunteer and community service enriching the lives of many people in the Seattle community.

Peggy was a member of the Seattle Tennis Club, the Washington Athletic Club, the National Society of Colonial Dames, and the Sunset Club. She was an accomplished tennis player, swimmer and skier. The Habegger family enjoyed all of these sports together and had a condominium at Alpental, where they spent many fun ski weekends together. Thanks to Peggy, the Habegger family hosted Girl Scouts from Japan and the Philippines and students from Sweden in their home.

Peggy and Bob enjoyed traveling to many places around the world, after they sent all three of their daughters to Europe and one around the world, on the People to People Student Ambassador Program. Peggy and Bob especially loved going to their ocean front condominium in Mazatlán, Mexico, which they did for over 30 years. They adopted an orphanage in that city, which they donated and raised money to support for a number of years.

Peggy devoted much of her life to volunteering and serving other people. She served on the Board of Trustees for the United Way of King County, and the Board of Directors of the Totem Girl Scout Council and YWCA of Seattle-King County, the Board of University Preparatory Academy and she was a member of the Governor's Committee on Volunteer Service. Throughout her life, she served on a number of other boards and volunteered in numerous other capacities, too many to list. Recently, she served as the Chair of the Mirabella Seattle Foundation, which provides employee scholarships and supports non-profits, including one serving homeless youth in downtown Seattle.

Peggy lived a full and meaningful life. She had a positive impact on many people, both those she knew and others she never met. She will be dearly missed by her family and many friends, including her Gamma Phi Beta bridge group and many friends at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Peggy is survived by her daughters: Sally Habegger, Seattle and Jane Habegger and husband Bill Lynch, Olympia and her sisters-in-law: Bettie and Donna Joy, numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and many lifelong friends. She was predeceased by her husband Bob, daughter Ann, parents Andy and Gertrude, and her brothers Doug and Jim.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the: Habegger Family Endowment (which supports grieving parents who have lost a child) Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Foundation, P.O. Box 5371, MS-S-200, Seattle, WA 98145.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 2 p.m. at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 4805 N.E. 45th Street, Seattle, WA 98105.