Margaret Veronica Ward Siebein or “Peggy” as she liked to be called was a warm and wonderful woman; dedicated to her husband of 68 years, Walter, who predeceased her; and to her family – four children – Gary, Glenn, Kerry and Maura; their spouses, seven grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren and her dog Bailey. She was born on February 22, 1926 to Margaret Murphy Ward and Joseph Ward in Queens, New York. She had one sister, Dolores who predeceased her. She died on December 20, 2021 in Gainesville, Florida in close proximity to family and friends.
She was born in New York City and received her education in Catholic schools there. She spent her early life living in Queens until she married Walter in 1948 at St. Adalbert’s Church in Elmhurst, New York. Walter and Peggy lived in Elmhurst, New York and bought their first house in Forest City near Bellmore in 1952 and later built new homes in Wantagh and Smithtown, New York; Redding Center and West Redding Connecticut; Hilton Head and Lady’s Island (Beaufort), South Carolina; High Springs and Gainesville, Florida; and Kent, Connecticut. They spent each winter in South Carolina and later Florida and each summer in Kent, Connecticut. They loved making homes for their family and always bought beautiful properties in wonderful locations and then designed, built and continued to remake the houses throughout their lives.
She took great care with the education of her children and the creating of a “Home” with all that means in the broadest sense of the word. Doing homework, completing chores and plenty of time for play were necessities for her children. Peggy was a dedicated wife, inspirational Mother and beloved grandmother and great-grandmother. She was always proud of the accomplishments of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and always offered praise and encouragement to all of us as we progressed through life. She guided us with love, faith, optimism and a contagious enthusiasm for work, play and family. She was very active in her Church – Sacred Heart in Georgetown, Connecticut with her children. She owned a group of children’s clothing stores – The Toggery- that sold communion dresses, baptismal robes and other specialty products that could not be purchased in department stores. She loved traveling to New York, Boston and Hartford to find special outfits for her store each year.
She loved to travel. She lived for several years in Vaduz, Lichtenstein where Walter was working. They traveled extensively across Europe and all around the United States. She loved to shop, collect antique furniture, go out to eat, sing with her brothers-in-law Larry and Billy while they played the organ or keyboard and dance. She was a force of nature – a vibrant and beautiful woman, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
After retirement she and her husband wintered and eventually moved to Florida to be closer to their children. While she lived in Florida, she always felt her “home” was in Connecticut with its rollinghills, verdant greenery, cooler weather and changing seasons.
After the death of her husband, Walter, she felt lost and longed for his companionship. She was very grateful for the closeness with her children who were dear to her and spent a considerable amount of time with her; visits with her long-time friend and hairdresser, Antoinette and the wonderful care given by Lisa, her granddaughter, Cher and Amanda who were with her day by day at home.
Since Covid, she came to our house for dinner most nights of the week. Sunday was a special night because we went to mass on the internet. She still knew every prayer, every moment in the mass for special attention and enjoyed singing the hymns, psalms and prayer responses even with her progressing dementia. These were a source of great comfort for her to find a safe and secure foundation to hold on to.
A funeral mass will be held at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Gainesville on Tuesday, January 4,
2022at 11:00 a.m. with a viewing there beginning at 10:00 a.m. May God bless her and her family and
may perpetual light shine upon her.
