Peggy Anne (Ward) DePew

Peggy Anne (Ward) DePew, 79 of Bryans Road, MD passed away on January 2, 2020.  She was born April 17, 1940 in Hendersonville, NC to Keith and Gladys (Jones) Ward.

Peggy is survived by her husband of 58 years, Chester and their daughters Sandra (Fletcher) Burns, Michelle (John) Carlson, Cheryl (Mike) Hicks, and Teresa (Rick) Herman.  She is also survived by grandchildren Dawn & Burney Williams; John Jr., Jennifer & Joshua Carlson, Tommy & Krysta Windsor, Matthew Nelson; and Travis & Jamie Herman; 15 great grandchildren, 1 great-great grandson; and numerous other family and friends.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Pat Carr; brothers Jerry and Terry Ward; and great granddaughter Alexandra Blackman.

Peggy attended the Lucy Webb Hayes School of Nursing (Sibley Hospital), graduating in 1962 to become a registered nurse.  Lifelong friendships were forged during the 3-year residential nursing program, and the Class of ‘62 continued to get together through the years to swap old stories and share their lives.  Though Peggy worked in various nursing roles; hospitals, nursing homes, on call staffing, her passion was in home health.  She traveled all around the Maryland/DC area caring for patients in their home so they could remain close to their family and friends during an illness or recovery period.

Peggy was a loving wife, wonderful mother, grandmother & great grandmother, and a dedicated daughter, sister, cousin & friend.  She never met a stranger and she gave her whole heart to those she loved.  Her gentle demeanor & can-do spirit left a mark on many.

She was strong, independent and fearless.  She thought nothing of loading her daughters into the station wagon and heading off to upstate New York or North Carolina for a visit.  She would take the kids (4 daughters plus a friend each) on camping trips, to amusement parks, museums, or the zoo.  After her grandchildren came along, she continued the adventures with them.  There was always laughter and lots of fun! 

When her daughters were young, Peggy was very active in Girl Scouts, serving as troop leader, service unit manager, association chairman, resident camp nurse, and as delegate to the Girl Scout National Convention in Denver, CO and Seattle, WA.

In the early 1980’s, Peggy and a few other Charles County medical professionals joined together to form Hospice of Charles County, a volunteer run organization that provided comprehensive, end-of-life, palliative care for people of all ages diagnosed with a life-limiting medical condition.

She was a member of the Indian Head Women of the Moose Chapter 576 and earned the Academy of Friendship degree in 2017.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 from 10:30 AM until time of funeral service at 12:30 PM at the funeral home.  Internment Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Cheltenham, MD.  A repast will follow at Indian Head Moose Lodge, 11 Town Street, Indian Head, MD.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Peggy’s honor be made to Hospice of Charles County.

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