Peggy Sharon Peterson

Peggy Sharon Peterson, 75, passed away on December 3, 2023 due to complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease. She was born in Frederick, MD on October 24, 1948, the daughter of Robert V. and Pauline D. Peterson.

Raised in Westminster, MD, Peggy was a graduate of the Church Home and Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore. She went on to obtain an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social work. This led to her being dually-credentialed as an Advanced Practice Nurse in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a Licensed Independent Social Worker for Clinical Practice.

Her entire professional career was devoted to individual and group psychotherapy and crisis intervention for children and adolescents with emotional disorders. She was employed, sequentially, at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital, the University of Maryland Medical System, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, and the Kennedy-Krieger Institute (a Johns Hopkins affiliate). It was in this last position that she and a physician teamed to specialize in the unique emotional disorders of children that had been prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol.

In retirement, she enjoyed reading, knitting, and shared her husband’s interest in aviation. She learned of the opportunity to become a volunteer air crew for the U.S. Coast Guard, qualified for same, and logged many flight hours of Coast Guard operational missions off the coastlines of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. She particularly appreciated assignment to missions involving drug interdiction, as she had seen, first-hand, the damage that illicit drugs do to our nation’s children.

She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Plesser of Gilbert, SC; her brother, Robert Peterson of Frederick, MD; and her brother, Bruce Peterson of Greencastle, PA. She was predeceased by her parents.

A celebration of Peg’s life will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 15, 2023 at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home – Lexington Chapel, 503 North Lake Drive, Lexington, SC 29072. The family will greet mourners at the funeral home following the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Peg’s name to Leeza’s Care Connection, a nonprofit community resource that has supported and guided innumerable dementia caregivers through the hard times, at www.leezascareconnection.org