Margaret Joan New

Margaret Joan New passed away peacefully on September 1, 2022. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, James New, and her sister, Rosalie Richards. Margaret leaves behind her brother, Bill Hart, her five children, Jeanie Miller, Francie Cuevas, Kathy Withrow, Mickey New, and Joel New, along with eleven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Margaret Joan Hart was born on January 16, 1929, in Las Vegas, New Mexico to Michael and Margaret Hart. To avoid confusion with her mom, Margaret went by her nickname, Peggy. The family moved to Kansas where Peggy grew up with her older sister, Rosalie, and her younger brother, Bill. Peggy decided to follow her sister Rosalie to Arizona, where she attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Peggy graduated in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and went on to teach second grade. During her time at NAU, Peggy met Jim New, the love of her life. They married in 1953 in Hutchison, Kansas. Peggy and Jim then headed west and settled in Stockton, where they began their lives together. Jim began his teaching career and Peggy devoted herself to raising her beautiful family of five children.

Throughout their lives together, Peggy and Jim relied on their strong faith in God to guide them through good times and bad. The couple were members of the St. Bernadette’s Catholic Parish for four decades. During those years, Peggy taught Catechism, served as a Eucharistic minister, participated in Bible Study and was a member of the Lady’s Guild. She loved her parish community, but she especially loved singing in the St. Bernadette’s choir. Following Jim’s death in 1998, Peggy continued her endless devotion to her God and her church.

In addition to their faith, Jim and Peggy loved to travel. In the early years, the entire family, including Grandma and Grandpa Hart, would drive up the California coast to enjoy the fabulous Pacific Ocean. The tradition was to get freshly caught salmon right off the boat in Bodega Bay. Jim would fire up the coals while Peggy prepped the fish; nothing could compare to freshly smoked salmon, right off the grill! In later years, the destination switched to the mountains and the pristine Lake Tahoe. These annual trips continued throughout the years, and as the kids’ families grew, so did the number of cabins the New family rented at Zephyr’s Cove, Lake Tahoe! Jim and Peggy also enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience as they went on a grand European tour. Peggy later joined several members of the St. Bernadette’s Parish on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the Vatican.

For Peggy, the common thread that held everything together was family. Birthdays and holidays were always celebrated as treasured events in the New family. The Sonoma house was the place to be for food, drink, and lots of love at every special occasion. And did Peggy ever love that holiday food! During one of her last moments with her daughters, she reminisced about how much she loved the traditional Thanksgiving feast, including the gravy, so expertly prepared by Peggy and Aunt Rosalie! And no one would dare leave out the turkey on Christmas or Easter; Peggy insisted the big bird be included at all the major holidays!

On a personal note, my mom was the most generous, loving, giving individual, who also had a great sense of humor. She was a devoted wife and mother, and was completely dedicated to serving her God and his son, Jesus Christ. She lived a long and fruitful life and will be greatly missed by all who loved her. Rest in peace, Mom, I’ll see you on the flip side!