July 23, 1920 - January 15, 2018
Recently, Peg and I
spoke about the first time we met. It was in the old Welsh Tract Road house 48
years ago when I was 16. I was there with a group of classmates working on a
physics project. Peg walked up to me, introduced herself and promptly said in
reference to John, “No deposit no return”. As Peg walked away, my friend
standing next to me, who was very short, tugged on my sleeve. As I bent down
she whispered in my ear, “Run, do not walk, away from this house right now. I
will cover for you.” While I thought about it, I did not take my friend’s
advice. John and I will be celebrating our 43rd wedding
anniversary later this year.
When I was six months
pregnant with Eric, Peg took me out to lunch one day to give me advice on
raising children. Her best advice was that you rise up children for 18 years to
let them GO. At that point, you have to stand back, be quiet, and let them make
their own mistakes. She then leaned in close to me and said she was better at
this then Ed. He often felt compelled to let others know how he felt about
their mistakes. She believed discretion was the better part of valor. I have
tried to live by Peg’s rule in raising Eric and Tristan. John and I are very
proud of the men they have grown to be. Peg was proud of them too. She loved to
tell others they were roller derby referees; or how Eric built and drove his
art car at Burning Man; or Tristan who dyed his hair plaid in a spectacular
show of CMU school spirit as the sports radio announcer.
Peg was a terrific
mother-in-law. She and I were close friends, right from the start. We did NOT
always agree on things but we respected each other. We had a very Open
and Honest relationship that stood the test time. While we were of different
generations and very different moral times, we both understood that we shared a
special friendship and bond. She was worried when she came to live with us
temporarily after her knee operation. Later, she told us she really loved staying
with us because living at our house was like camping again! While some people
would have been offended, I understood this was really a great compliment from
her. My daughter-in-law, Eloise, and my future daughter-in-law, Kelsey, are
here today. I don’t know if we will be able to develop the same level of
friendship but I certainly hope so. To everyone here I would say, if you ever
have the chance to develop a strong INTER-generational friendship, especially
where you are not bound by blood ties, seize the opportunity. You, and the
other person, will have a truly special relationship.
In the final few days of
Peg’s life, I was fortunate to be able to thank her for raising John to be a
fine man, for being my friend for almost 50 years, and how fortunate our sons
were to live close by and spend so much time with her and Ed. Peg called me her
(and Ed’s) first responder. It was my privilege for 17 years. I will truly miss
my friend, Peg.
When I was six months
pregnant with Eric, Peg took me out to lunch one day to give me advice on
raising children. Her best advice was that you rise up children for 18 years to
let them GO. At that point, you have to stand back, be quiet, and let them make
their own mistakes. She then leaned in close to me and said she was better at
this then Ed. He often felt compelled to let others know how he felt about
their mistakes. She believed discretion was the better part of valor. I have
tried to live by Peg’s rule in raising Eric and Tristan. John and I are very
proud of the men they have grown to be. Peg was proud of them too. She loved to
tell others they were roller derby referees; or how Eric built and drove his
art car at Burning Man; or Tristan who dyed his hair plaid in a spectacular
show of CMU school spirit as the sports radio announcer.
Peg was a terrific
mother-in-law. She and I were close friends, right from the start. We did NOT
always agree on things but we respected each other. We had a very Open
and Honest relationship that stood the test time. While we were of different
generations and very different moral times, we both understood that we shared a
special friendship and bond. She was worried when she came to live with us
temporarily after her knee operation. Later, she told us she really loved staying
with us because living at our house was like camping again! While some people
would have been offended, I understood this was really a great compliment from
her. My daughter-in-law, Eloise, and my future daughter-in-law, Kelsey, are
here today. I don’t know if we will be able to develop the same level of
friendship but I certainly hope so. To everyone here I would say, if you ever
have the chance to develop a strong INTER-generational friendship, especially
where you are not bound by blood ties, seize the opportunity. You, and the
other person, will have a truly special relationship.
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