Margaret "Peggy" Kenney Torres

Margaret (Peggy) Kenney Torres, 89 of West Yarmouth, MA, died peacefully on May 11, 2024 at Cape Cod Hospital surrounded by loved ones, including her children and grandchildren. She was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on June 5, 1934 – the only child to Richard Kenney and Mary (May) Fitzgerald. Her father died when she was only two years old and during her early childhood she was raised in a household with her mother, two aunts, and grandmother who immigrated from County Cork Ireland.

Peggy grew up in Easthampton, MA, and received a scholarship to attend the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, from which she graduated in 1955 – when only a small percentage of college students were women. She first fell in love with Cape Cod around this time when she visited the Cape with her sorority sister from UMass. She loved the beaches, natural beauty, and working at the Lawrence Sandwich Depot, which in its day was a centerpiece of summer life in Falmouth Heights. She enjoyed and appreciated this time before taking a position with Aetna insurance in Hartford, CT.

Peggy later worked as a social worker at the Northampton State Hospital in Northampton, MA, where in 1956 she met Dr. Clemencio Torres while caring for a patient together. They married in 1959 and around 1964, Peggy and Clem settled in Norwich, CT, to raise their three sons, Mark, Jonathan, and Christopher. They started out living on the grounds of Norwich State Hospital, where they enjoyed a simple life within a community of other families of doctors living in a nearby neighborhood called “The Hill.” It was during this time that Peggy developed her hobby of making her own clothes with a sewing machine, fabric, and design patterns. Her passion for clothes and fashion lasted nearly her entire life.

In 1972, Margaret and her family moved to Norwichtown, CT, where she worked as the Office Manager for her husband’s Family Practice clinic. Margaret also enjoyed vacations with her family beginning when her children were very young. She continued to find pleasure spending time on Cape Cod in the summer, initially vacationing in hotels and later purchasing a cottage on “The Avenues” in West Hyannisport. This cottage soon became a beautiful and natural sanctuary – a destination for themselves, their children, grandchildren, and other relatives and friends. Peggy loved to relax at the cottage, taking in the smell of salt air, the sounds of birds, and the view of Squaw Island. In this idyllic setting, she cherished her daily ritual of enjoying a cup of coffee while reading the New York Times!

Later in life, Peggy moved to a home on Lewis Bay, Hyannis, where she found immense peace and tranquility. She found comfort watching and listening to the ferry boats going by and blowing their horns. While there, she valued regular visits from her family, including her children and grandchildren. Her love for Cape Cod was steadfast; she never wanted to leave, and she rarely did! Peggy would often say “I’m in heaven here.”

While many of her years on Cape Cod were characterized by alone time and solitude, in the last few years of her life, Peggy found joy in living with other older adults at her assisted living residence at Maplewood at Mayflower Place, where she discovered an interest and appreciation for community. There, she challenged herself to become more social and found that she enjoyed meeting new people and learning about their backgrounds and interests, and she was often excited to share what she learned. Even as her health and mobility declined, she seemed to find more enjoyment in the simple things in life and made new and lasting friendships. Her friends there described her as being nice and kind, and they enjoyed having meals with her.

Margaret (Peggy) (Nana) will be missed by many. She is predeceased by her husband Clemencio Torres and survived by her three sons Mark, Christopher, and Jonathan (wife Joan) and their children, Luke, Danielle, Sam, Emma, and Jonathan. She is also survived by her first cousin Robert Fitzgerald and his wife Betty, as well as their two daughters Beth and Kathy Fitzgerald.

A memorial service will be held at Our Lady of Victory Parish, 230 South Main St., Centerville, Massachusetts at 11:00am on Saturday, June 1, 2024.

As an alternative to flowers, donations to the following organizations would be appreciated: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital; Time to Compete – https://www.timetocompete.com/