May 26, 1920 to September 25, 2009
Peggy McKeachie passed away suddenly and peacefully with family at her side in Victoria on September 25, 2009 at the age of “I’m 89, you know!” Born in Victoria, Mom, Nanny, G-Nan, Auntie Peg was a friend to all who met her. Her husband Ian predeceased her 44 years ago. She is also predeceased by brother Doug Whyte and sister Mary Barber. Peggy was always there for her 5 children: John (Sandi), Jane (Maurice) Vaesen, Anne McKeachie, Cathy (Jeff) Sinclair, and Bob (Sue); 12 grandchildren: Kent, Mark, Craig, Steven, Karen, Jennifer, Jessica, Liane, Brandon, Kyle, Alex and Nicole and 2 great-grandchildren: Kesler and Rebecca. She also leaves her brother-in-law Jimmy (Joyce) McKeachie. The family wishes to acknowledge cousins Joan Watt and Noni Whyte and family friends Kay and Dale Barber for their support in recent years. After graduating from Victoria High School, she worked for BC Electric. She was an amateur athlete – basketball (“I can shoot better than you!”), softball (“I was pretty good, you know!”) and tennis (“I love tennis!”) whose husband was inducted into the Victoria and BC Sports Halls of Fame. But when he left her all too soon, she continued to raise 5 kids in the small house on Glasgow Avenue where she lived for 47 years, returning to the workforce after 23 years, retiring in 1985 from the Greater Victoria School Board. As the nest emptied, she moved to her condo at The Poplar and remained there until this past January when she moved to The Kensington. Her new flat-screen TV enabled her to follow her beloved Blue Jays, the Canucks, golf and tennis. All this in and around her bridge games as she remained sharp to the end, keeping in touch with her coffee buddies and dear friends almost as much as her family. Never a day passed when she didn’t laugh and make everyone she encountered do likewise. A breast-cancer survivor for over 12 years, please feel free to offer donations in Peggy’s name to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and/or the BC Heart & Stroke Foundation. Service 2:00 pm, Monday, October 5, 2009 at McCall Bros. Floral Chapel, Johnson & Vancouver Street, Victoria, BC.
34 Responses
Heartfelt thoughts to John and Family. We have wonderful memories of such a great lady.
To John, Jane, Anne, Cathy, and Bob,
I was so sorry to hear of your mother’s passing, but happy to hear it was peaceful.
I will always remember your mother for her sense of humour — she was fun to be with. Her courage and fortitude when things weren’t going so well was so much admired. I am sure you will miss her dearly, but may the memories of her laughter and cheeriness help you through.
My thoughts are with you at this time,
Sincerely,
Barry Gelling (MD)
With our deepest sympathy for the loss of your Mother. We will miss her great smile & laughter . Peggy was a great Lady & a treasure to all us Kids from Glasgow Ave. She showed us strength, optimisam & sportsmanship. Our thougths are with you. Bob & Kathleen Coutts also Rob Bill Sandy Cori.
Bob:
So sorry to read about your mom’s passing. The family resemblance is striking, so I suspected right away from the picture it might be you losing a parent. There is absolutely nothing easy about death, but it sounds like she was a truly wonderful woman who left a happy legacy to her family and lived a joyous life. Our thoughts are with you and your family.
Brigitte & Randy L’Heureux
It is difficult to bear the loss of one so dear. We hope your special memories will be a comfort to you and will allow you to keep your Mother very close to you in the years to come. Our thoughts are with you all.
Thinking of you, at this sad time . Your Mom will be sorely missed.
Kind Regards, Allan Wilde.
Please accept our condolences. We had the pleasure of meeting your mother on a couple of occaisions over the years and were always impressed by her good humor and positive outlook.
We heard many great stories about her from Cathy to appreciate what a special mother she was, as well as, a special friend to many.
We are sorry we cannot attend the service but our hearts and thoughts are with you from Bonnie Scotland.
Vince and Noella Ready
Auntie Peg was a kind, generous, laughing and wonderful person. She was in our family through our auntie Mary Barber, her sister and our dad’s sister-in-law. Especially in the early days, she and uncle Ian were a regular presence at family occasions of all sorts.
When she and aunt Mary were together, there was almost no distinguishing them — and no greater compliment could be offered. She stood my aunt Mary through her stroke, and uncle Harry Barber through ALS, bringing a constant warmth and wit and kindness every time she entered the room.
To all the McKeachies (and you know how many you are!) please accept love and the happiest remembrance of an extraordinary woman, from my sisters Lynn and Margaret and myself.
Our sympathies on your loss…Although we hadn’t seen your Mom
in awhile, I’ll remember the house on Glasgow, and her enjoyment of the cake made by Bob and Rob Cowan…
Take Care.
Hello McKeachie family! So sorry to hear about Peg. What a great lady she was. We are currently floating around the Pacific but friends emailed the obit to us. Our very sincere condolences to you all. Peg will be sorely missed.