Peggy D. Haynes

Peggy was born in Knoxville, on January 28, 1929, and attended the Knoxville city schools, graduating from KHS in 1947, having been in the Top Hat Club and several other organizations. Her passion while growing up was with her three and five gaited horses, which she worked regularly and showed often, one time at Churchill Downs in Lexington, Kentucky. She was preceded in death by her parents, Hubert R. and Margaret Good Dunsmore, her two brothers, Hubert Earl Dunsmore and Rev. Beecher Dunsmore, a younger sister, Patsy Dunsmore Rice, her stepmother Katherine Dunsmmore, and two stepsisters, Carol Dunsmore and Evelyn Case.

Upon graduation from KHS, she attended UT for three years, where she was in the ADPi Sorority and studied Home Economics. It was there that she met and married the love of her life, Tommy Haynes. Both had grown up in the same area of Park City. They were married on June 3, 1950, just prior to Tommy’s graduation from UT in August 1950. After graduation he was recalled to active duty by the Army for service in the Korean War. So Peggy became an Army wife. This role lasted 25 years. During that time she made a home for her family in Knoxville, Atlanta, Verdun and Nancy in France, Aberdeen, Md., Detroit, Frankfurt and Heidelberg, Germany, Leavenworth, KS, Arlington, VA, Knoxville and Huntsville, AL. Providing for her family was always her top priority, although as an Army wife she also served as a Girl Scout leader, teacher, administrative assistant at the Port Chapel, District Commissioner for the US Pony Club of North Alabama, and President of the Wives Club at Redstone Arsenal, a 500 person organization. While in Huntsville she was also a member of the Moreland Hunt Club, where she was awarded a fox mask by the Hunt Master. This is a very significant award to fox hunt participants.

Upon return to East Tennessee after Army retirement, since both daughters were away in school, Peggy decided to have a second career. She chose real estate sales. For the next 30 years she worked in that field in Blount and Knox Counties, serving as principal broker for three firms along the way. She was a million dollar sales person most of those years, in addition to supervising the efforts of as many as 15 affiliate brokers working in her office. She also became the key person in organizing family reunions for the H.R. Dunsmore family. Her avocation during that period was the volunteer support she gave to Pat Summitt and Joan Cronin to help increase the fan support for the UT Lady Vols. She was a founding member of the Lady Vol Boost-her Club and served as President of the organization twice.

In summary, Peggy has served as an Army wife, stay-at-home mom, career woman and care giver for her maternal grandmother (lived in her home 15 years) and other older family members, and has performed in an exemplary manner in every role she had.

She is survived by her husband, Tom, her daughters, Linda Boardman (Allen), Maryville; and Rebecca Williams (Steve), Knoxville; sister Jeanne Findley, Athens, TN; grandson, Chris Myers (Alana), Louisville, TN; granddaughter, Lauren Beasley (Joey), Maryville; great grandson, Colt Myers and numerous cousins who are children of deceased brothers and sisters.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, September 24, 2015 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Berry Highland Memorial Funeral Home. They will meet in Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery for the Graveside Service on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 9:30am.