Peggy Carr

Peggy Carr was a modest woman, quiet and observant in her ways. She was trustworthy and traditional in her approach to her life and in her relationships. She was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew her. She was also a woman who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything she undertook. Realistic about life, she was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Her parents were Jack & Ethel Lambert. Peggy was born in Kansas. She lived most of her young years in Seattle, Washington followed by a part of her life in Spokane. Peggy and her first husband (Cheryl and Marty's dad) Harry Rice were married for twenty years. In middle part of life she moved to Portland Oregon and remained in the area throughout the rest of her life. She was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve her well throughout her life.

Growing up in the Carr household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Peggy was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and she was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Peggy was raised with three siblings. She had older brother Jack and two younger sisters Dorene and Yvonne. Peggy was constantly involved in activities with her brothers and sisters. Peggy and her siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Peggy was always consistently loyal to her family.

While her teachers and even her friends generally thought of Peggy as being a serious person, she managed to have a pretty good time in high school as she made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. She enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Peggy was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using her exceptional memory, she was able to learn much through observation. Peggy always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though she could easily master any problem that might be presented to her.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Peggy handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Peggy was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete her class work. She seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down her classmates. Peggy was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed her fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Peggy well during her college experience. She earned her associates degree in cosmetology.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Peggy was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during her life. Since she disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw her own conclusions based on direct observation, Peggy was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew her. She was committed to her friends and valued the trust she placed in them. It was not uncommon for Peggy to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought her out for advice because she had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, her best friend was Peggy Buston. Later in life, she became friends with Charzette, Ruby, Bella, Dorethy, Alison, Jeanette and Scotty, Bob & Marge and all the Spokane Gang.

On June 4, 1966 Peggy exchanged wedding vows with Charlie B. Carr in Cordelene, Idaho. Compassionate and devoted to Charlie, Peggy held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. She took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it her total commitment. She was a source of strength to Charlie and using her gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, she worked hard to make her new family happy.

Peggy brought the same traditional values in her marriage to bear on how she raised her children. She was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in her dealings. She would always listen carefully and think things through before she acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Peggy was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Peggy was blessed with Two Children, Daughter, Cheryl and Son, Martin (Marty). Peggy and Charlie were also blessed with two grandchildren, Charles (Charlie) and Samantha.

Peggy greatly enjoyed what she did for a living. She was a hard worker who expected the same in return from her co-workers. She was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Peggy enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Peggy was excellent at meeting deadlines. She was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Her primary occupation was stay at home mom and hairdresser. She was employed for Liberty House Salon and Parkrose Beauty Salon. Peggy worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Peggy liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into her hobbies, where she was very methodical in how she organized her activities and categorized things. Since she enjoyed her private time, Peggy always tried to allocate a specific time for working on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were reading, gardening and most importantly, saving money. Peggy was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.

Peggy enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since she was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Peggy appeared effortless. She enjoyed researching all of her examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where she traveled, Peggy always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Hawaii, Mexico, Euorpean tour, Caribbean.

Peggy was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Peggy’s favorites was Pretty Girl, a big grey cat. They were best friends for 7 years. Her family was rounded out by her dog, Rascal; dog, Dusty; and cats Tommy and Tuffy.

When Peggy’s retirement finally arrived in 1980, she was well prepared. She always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things she knew, so she was very confident in planning her retirement. She had begun the process early and had her retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, she found new pleasure in reading and going to luncheons. Even in retirement, Peggy continued to stay in touch with her old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in her new community and felt fulfilled.

Peggy Carr passed away on February 18, 2010 in her home at Sellwood Landing. She is survived by her children Cheryl and Marty and her grandchildren Charlie and Samantha. A gathering to celebrate her life was held at Batemann Carroll Funeral Home. Peggy was laid to rest in Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Peggy Carr. She was committed to living the life of a good woman who was both practical and trustworthy. She was committed to the traditional values that she upheld her entire life. She committed herself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around her. Most of all, she was committed to those she knew and loved.

The following obituary was submitted to The Oregonian:

Peggy P. Carr

July 31, 1928 - Feb. 18, 2010

Born in Syracuse, Kansas. She was a hair stylist and a homemaker.

A gathering will be held on Tuesday, February 23 at 10:00 AM at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home. Private interment at Willamette National Cemetery. Arrangements under the direction of Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, Gresham, OR.