Peggy Jane Cummings

Peggy Jane Cummings was born to Mae (Murray) Macy and John Macy on July 23, 1929, in Crescent, Oklahoma and passed away at home on December 19, 2024. She grew up in Crescent and graduated from Crescent High, where she was named the prettiest girl and was involved in many activities, including President of the Pep Club. Being a very small-town girl, she was involved in many activities all around Crescent, including playing piano at her family church and other community events. While growing up in Crescent, she worked at the family garage that also sold Chevrolets and was a Sinclair gas station. Peggy met her future husband, Douglas R Cummings, when his family settled in Crescent in 1941, after having lived in oil field camps all over Oklahoma. Peggy and Doug later dated and attended the University of Oklahoma. They were married on June 1, 1951. Peggy was unable to finish her degree at OU, as she had to work while Doug was finishing his Geological Engineering degree. Peggy had a variety of jobs including on Film Row in Oklahoma City, the telephone company, and even as a secretary to a Genera while Doug was later serving in the Army, they were stationed at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. She and her mother were always very close and lived together when Doug shipped off to the Korean War for a year in 1952-3.

After returning from Korea, Doug went to work for Kirkpatrick Oil Company and they had 2 sons, Sean and Brent. After about 20 years with Kirkpatrick Oil, they started Cummings Oil Company in 1973. Doug was in the oilfields a lot and Peggy was a truly wonderful and supportive mother in all the boys’ activities. She was very involved in their family’s church and elementary school, St. John’s Episcopal, where she served in the Altar Guild for over 50 years. Peggy also volunteered at many civic organizations over the years including among others the Oklahoma City Art Museum, OKC Belle Isle Library, Baptist Hospital and the OKC Symphony, where she was head of the Women’s Committee and Chair of the Symphony Showhouse. She and Doug were very involved at OU for many years supporting the OU Foundation, the OU Energy Center, and the OU Library.

Peggy and Doug loved OU football and basketball and were season ticket holders of games starting in the 1950’s. They also enjoyed attending the Big 8 and Final 4 basketball tournaments for many years with Doug’s cousin, Coach Jack and Pat Hartman and their family.

Peggy volunteered a great deal of time with Republican politics, being very involved in the campaigns of Representative Mickey Edwards, Senator Don Nickles and Senator Jim Inhofe before they were elected to the US Congress. She and Doug even had a surprise dinner at Cattlemen’s restaurant in OKC with President George HW Bush and Senator Don Nickles in 1992.

Peggy loved reading, art, music and travel. She and Doug traveled to Europe several times and all over the US. They particularly loved Santa Fe, NM, where they had several homes and loved the green chilis, art, shopping and scenery. She loved Mahjong and played it with many dear friends for more than 50 years.

Peggy was preceded in death by her parents, brother Phil and his wife Frances, brother-in-law John and his wife Clare, sister-in-law Anita and two grandsons Conor and James Cummings. She is survived by her sons, Sean (wife Terri) and Brent, 2 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Kay Oswald and many cousins, nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved.

A Celebration of Peggy’s Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on January 25, 2025, at St. John’s Episcopal Church (5401 N Brookline, OKC). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the OKC Philharmonic or St John’s Episcopal Church.