Margaret "Peggy" McKenzie McClain

Peggy McKenzie McClain passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 31. She was born on Oct 23, 1934, in Elgood, West Virginia, to Leonard Modoc McKenzie and Julia Wagner McKenzie. Peggy grew up in Princeton, West Virginia, and was a 1952 graduate of Princeton High School.

Peggy graduated from Concord College (WV) in 1956 with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and home economics and was very active in the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. She and her high school sweetheart, Jack McClain, married in Princeton in 1957. Peggy taught math and home economics in West Virginia and Alabama until her children, Kevin and Laura, were born.

Peggy was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Cary for many years – teaching Sunday school, leading the Ruth Circle, leading the Methodist Youth Fellowship for several years, and serving on the renovations committee for the Templeton building. Most importantly, she taught at the Methodist Children’s Center for 20 years, including 10 years as the director of the center.

Peggy was a warm, nurturing, and caring mother, grandmother, teacher, and friend. She loved cooking, reading, sewing, and crafts. She was an excellent seamstress, making a prom dress, a bridesmaid dress, and repairing torn clothes for both her kids and grandkids – “She can fix anything” (Michael, age 9, confident despite the rip in his new shirt). She loved to share her joy in creating, like helping her grandkids make gingerbread houses and sugar cookies at Christmas and dyeing eggs at Easter.

She was the Mom that stepped up wherever she was needed -- cub scout den mother, brownie troop leader, and room mother for school classrooms. She was her kids’ and grandkids’ bigger cheerleader -- ballet recitals, basketball games, soccer matches, swim meets, volleyball games, and whatever else she was pulled into.

She loved WVU and NC State athletics and even made the sacrifice to wear a UNC sweatshirt when Laura was a student there. She loved annual family vacations at Topsail Beach, NC, (the more family the merrier) and summer trips back home to West Virginia to visit with her parents on the outskirts of Princeton.

Peggy loved family gatherings – family birthdays (making the cakes), Easter (filling and hiding tons of eggs for the egg hunt), and Christmas (decorating the house and tree, including her handmade paper stars, and filling handmade stocking for everyone). Thanksgivings were rollicking celebrations with Jack’s siblings and their families with food (at least one pie per person) to eat around football games. Peggy was generous with her smiles and laughter. The fact that she cried with every goodbye never deterred her from anticipating the next get together.

Peggy was predeceased by her husband, Jack, after 50 years of marriage.

Peggy is survived by her sister, Lynn McKenzie of Cary, NC; son, Kevin McClain, and his wife Donna King of Durham, NC; daughter, Laura Schmithorst, and her husband, Bill of Cary, NC; and five grandchildren: Cara McClain, Anna McClain, Michael Schmithorst, Josh McClain, and Matthew Schmithorst.

Visitation with the family will be at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home at 200 SE Maynard Road in Cary, NC, on Thursday, April 4, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 5, at 1:30pm at First United Methodist Church at 117 S. Academy Street in Cary, NC.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to a charity of your choice or perform some other act of kindness.