Margaret (Peggy) Matthews

Margaret Matthews— “Peggy” to her late, loving husband Harry and her friends; “Mom” to her three loving children; and “Mimi” or “The Meemster” to her seven loving grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren—passed away November 13, 2024, on a quiet afternoon in Palm City, Florida, family by her side.

She was 98 and a half years old.

Born in Topsfield, MA on May 28, 1926, Mom was descended from passengers of the Arabella, which landed in Salem, MA in June of 1630 to establish the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and she always kept her family’s history in the forefront of her never-forget-anything mind.

She met Henry M. Matthews from Red Bank, NJ while attending Tufts University during World War II, and they married in 1947. Their honeymoon was a no-frills drive through upper New England, including one unforgettable night in a motel room next door to a pair of hold-up men planning their escape across the border into Canada. It was a story Mom could always be prodded to tell—not omitting the loud, drunken argument between the men about how to get across the border, and how Dad barricaded the connecting door with a bureau—and she always told it with the tone of, “That was the kind of thing that happened after I met your father.” It was the beginning of a long, story-filled marriage.

Like many of their generation, “Peg and Harry,” as friends knew them, learned together how to make a living and raise three children in a country that was just coming out of a Great Depression and yet another World War. This they accomplished as well as any couple ever did, raising us with faith and a hard-working ethic that saw us all go to college, even if it meant Mom and Dad were paying off student loans long after our graduation ceremonies.

And their work ethic did not stop for weekends. Those were spent fixing up the house, and there was always a new house to fix up when Dad was transferred to a new region. He would build out a spare room or add a fence or deck and always seemed to be putting up chair rails while Mom painted and hung wallpaper with a professional touch. She handled the decorations and the outside gardens with the eye of the interior designer she had hoped to be growing up. They lived in Red Bank, NJ, East Hartford, CT, Barrington, RI, and South Glastonbury, CT before settling down for a long stretch in New Canaan, CT (with a short sojourn in Brussels, Belgium), making lifelong friends at every stop. Their last work-related move was to London, England, where they met the future King and the now-deceased Queen, who was born the same month and year as Mom. While there, they were able to travel for pleasure and see much of the world, which Mom loved doing, being innately curious and adventurous.

She also accompanied Dad for a months-long stay in Bratislava, Slovakia, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when business executives were volunteering their expertise to help the newly capitalist country get on its feet. This was no picnic, as Bratislava suffered terrible air pollution, food shortages, and few amenities (the nearest hot showers were 50 miles away in Vienna), but Mom never griped. It just meant more stories to tell. And Mom was the family storyteller.

Indeed, when “The Meemster” started telling one of her stories, she expected to finish it. If interrupted, she’d wait patiently but determinedly until the interruption was over and then dryly resume her story—often ending with a wry smile or a lift of the eyebrow or a heavy sigh that couldn’t help but make her listeners laugh.

Mom also enjoyed playing games and had a subtle competitive streak. She had learned bridge from her parents and loved playing card games with her children and grandchildren, who took to calling her “Ol’ Riverboat” for the skillful way she handled her cards as though she had not a clue what to do with them before suddenly slapping down a winning hand on the table and nonchalantly tallying up her score while everyone else grumbled.

She also played tennis and golf, sewed her own dresses, and, like her mother, was an excellent cook but an especially good baker. Her pies (cherry, pumpkin, and apple in particular), were highly anticipated after Thanksgiving dinner, and she baked brownies and chocolate chip cookies that left store-bought alternatives untouched.

And to her final days, Mom always ate dessert: ice cream and brownies being her favorite. Faith, of course, was an important part of Mom and Dad’s bond, and they put as much effort into it as they did in finishing their homes. With every move, they would attend different churches to find a congregation that felt welcoming, mission-focused, and full of music. Once settled in, Sundays always found them singing in the choir if not seated in the pews, and the music didn’t end at church: Mom played piano at home and sang, usually hymns.

Her final stop with Dad was Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart FL. He passed in 2005 at the age of 79, and Mom will be inurned next to him in the Mariner Sands Chapel Memorial Garden.

Mom lived a remarkably long life and possessed nearly all her faculties for most of it. Unfortunately, macular degeneration took away her ability to read during the last few years, which was a pastime she greatly missed, as her mornings always started with a cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice, an English muffin (buttered—Mom liked butter), and the newspapers.

Her final days were spent in the company of visiting family and the expert care of the nurses and aides at Sandhill Cove and its Water’s Edge assisted living facility in Palm City. The family wants to thank Mary Sommer and Justin Schneider, who oversaw her care planning, and super-nurses Teri, Althea, and Kathy who looked after Mom day-to-day like she was their own, as well as all the nurses and aides who assisted in making her final days dignified and comfortable.

Mom is survived by her three children: Sandy Woodward of Stuart, FL, Kim Wisckol of Palo Alto, CA, and Jeff Matthews of Naples FL. Her grandchildren—John (Cynthia) Woodward, Doug (Kim) Woodward, Sarah (Andrew) Minea, Claire (Nic) Feigenbaum, Dan Wisckol, Bob Wisckol and Luke Wisckol—already miss her, as do her great-children: Nathan and Natalie Woodward; Evy and Gavin Woodward; Henry, Cecilia and Samantha Minea; Gabriel and Beatrice Feigenbaum; Ella Wisckol.

Mom loved and cherished the memory of her late son-in-law, Jack Woodward, and loved her daughter-in-law Nancy Matthews, and son-in-law Peter Kao to the end, and they loved her right back.

We all loved her. There was no one quite like “The Meemster.”

Friends are welcome to join the family at a celebration of her life service at the Mariner Sands Chapel, Saturday, December 7 at 11 a.m.

Please know that Mom always supported her church, so instead of sending flowers, we ask that you give a little extra support to your local congregation next visit.