Edith Margaret Tucker was born in California to William Burling Tucker and Evelyn Maude Conner. Peggy was the second child, with an older sister, Beverley (Bev) and a younger brother, Jamie. As a girl, Peggy was forced to miss school for periods of time due to a growth in her throat which made her nearly mute during those stretches. She was homeschooled to compensate and would travel by car all over California with her father who was a mining engineer for the state of California. As he inspected mines, Peg would sit on a rock outside. She read great works, including poetry that she remembered into her 90s, and sparked a life long love of reading. With her voice back, Peggy attended Santa Monica High School and St. Mary’s College before meeting “Lo” (Norbert Lohoefener) when they served in their friends’ wedding party. They loved to dance and were able to see some of the great swing bands of their day in Los Angeles, including Count Basie. They married in 1942, shortly before Lo went into the Navy to serve in the Pacific during World War II. As a grandmother and later a great grandmother, Peggy would laugh at her younger self and explain that, like so many of her generation, she had tried to contribute to the war effort but wasn’t cut out to be Rosie the Riveter; so, they assigned her to work security at Douglas Aircraft. With a twinkle in her eyes and a mastery of understatement, she would add that she actually wasn’t cut out for that either, so she threw in the towel, bought a fur coat, and boarded a train headed to Virginia to stay with cousins in order to see Lo when he was on leave from training cruises out of Norfolk.
Peacetime brought three children, Janet Stidman, Diane Warder (deceased), and David Lohoefener, and a move to a small, rural German town in Missouri. Our California girl adapted again, this time to winter and small-town life in the heartland, making many dear, lifelong friends. As a mother, she was always involved with Scouting, swim teams, music and all the usual activities. As an aunt, she cared deeply for her nephews and cousins: her sister Bev’s sons, Rick, Lance and Kenneth, and her cousin Claire’s children, Bill and Conner. In middle age, she ran a small wedding catering business started in a church with a friend, and later, moved with Lo to Kansas City after the children were grown and met new friends and bridge partners. When Lo died of cancer, Peg moved to Clearwater, Florida to be near her sister and sunshine. Here she met many new friends and loved walking the beach and swimming. She also traveled the world with her friend, Harriet. No adventure was too large! In Florida, she met her second love, Wes Newby. They had a wonderful time golfing, traveling and watching the sunset. In 2014, she made the move to Texas, enjoying life to the fullest until the very end.
Peggy loved life! She embraced change and stayed young at heart and of mind for 97 years. She believed that laughter is the best medicine, and that you should laugh at yourself along the way, too! Her motto was her own version of the Greatest Generation: Keep going…keep moving, thinking, reading, learning, doing! She saw so much change in our country and the world in her almost 100 years, and it was important to her that she be a part of the modern world, never living in the past. In part because she could connect to the younger generations and wanted to hear about their lives and their worlds, Peggy was very close to her grandchildren, Stacey Warder, Jennifer Warder Schmitt, Kimberly Stidman Upchurch and Eric Stidman, and her great grandchildren, Tyler, Lauren, Kate, Bailey and Grant. Those who were special to her offspring, were special to her as well, especially Fred, and also Kyle, Megan, Phyllis, and others through the years.
We would like to thank the amazing care and support of family, friends, and neighbors at this time. Special thanks to Belmont Village Senior Living and all of their caring staff and Hospice Austin, especially Nancy, Brita, Becca, and special friend Annie White.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Settlement Home for Children (1600 Payton Gin Road, Austin, Texas 78758) or any favorite charity, if desired.
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