As her father always told her, she was born on Sunday evening as the church bells were tolling. Peggy’s Welsh Baptist grandparents lived across the street from her family and she always felt that they laid down the foundation for her life.
She never tired on singing hymns and wherever she went, she played important parts in the life of the church; teaching church school, alter guild, lay pastoral ministry and lay Eucharistic ministry. She was a full time volunteer and was quick to fill a need. Peggy was a long time member of PEO, a philanthropic educational organization for women, and a charter member of Chapter G in Brunswick.
Peggy was educated at Cleeves College for Young Ladies in Cardiff. She became secretary to the Consulate of Yugoslavia and later to a Cardiff ship owner. At the outbreak of World War II, she was drafted into the Ministry of War Transport at Cardiff Docks and remained there during the war. Her work involved top secret reports concerning the movement of ships in the Bristol Channel. Her family home and dairy were bombed during the war and her parents and sisters were separated, each living with other family members until a new home could be built.
She met her husband, George when he was home on leave from the Merchant Navy, having just been torpedoed in the South Atlantic and adrift in a life boat for 10 days. As she told it, men were scarce and her sister Barbara was having her 21st birthday party on New Years Eve in 1945, so they invited anyone they could find. Peggy and George were married on November 5, 1946 and just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. In July 1952, Peggy and George and Jane emigrated from Wales to the United States settling first in New Jersey, then Illinois, Ohio, back to New Jersey and finally retiring to Maine in 1986. Wherever she went, Peggy took the attitude, “bloom where you are planted” and made lifelong friends across the country. Peggy and George traveled world wide for business and pleasure, but Wales was always “Home.”
Peggy’s love of hymns, poetry, writing letters and postcards and chatting with people were her foundation and her love of helping others, her life’s mission.
Peggy was predeceased by two sisters, Nancy Brown and Enid “Pat” Evans.
Peggy is survived by her husband, George Emmerson of Brunswick, daughter: Jane Campbell and her husband Ron of Brunswick, grandchildren: Rachel Morrison and her husband Mike of Woodbridge, VA, John Campbell and his wife Jen Craft of Cambridge, MA, great grandchildren: Jack and Ryan Morrison of Woodbridge, VA, Erin Campbell of Cambridge, MA, sisters: Barbara Crump and Valerie Powell of Wales, many cousins, nieces, nephews and their children.
A celebration of Peggy’s life will be held at 11 am Friday December 9, 2011 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 27 Pleasant Street, Brunswick. Contributions in Peggy’s memory may be made to CHANS Home Health Care, 60 Baribeau Drive, Brunswick, ME 04011- 3218 or St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 195, Brunswick, ME 04011. You are invited to share your condolences, photos and tributes with the Emmerson family by visiting their Book of Memories at hallfuneralhomes.com.
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