Margaret E. Barbour

Margaret “Peggy” Hamill was born in the early hours of July 29, 1925 in Glendale, California. The fourth child born to Verva Chessie Hammond Hamill and Ray Hamilton Hamill, she was also the first baby of the family born in a hospital.

As a young child, Peggy and family moved to Fruitvale, Idaho to live with her paternal grandparents, where they engaged in farming and gold mining. They eventually moved outside of Bear, Idaho to the Placer Basin Gold Mine, and lived in a small cabin with a kerosene treated canvas tent attached. Kerosene provided waterproofing as well as fuel for the lamp. During winter, the family stored their food supplies in the tent, including a fifty pound bag of onions, a fifty pound bag of potatoes, and any “game” they had hunted. One night the newly “waterproofed” tent caught fire due to the kerosene protectant, spilling kerosene on the stored potatoes. Even well into her 90s, Peggy could still remember the taste of those “terrible kerosene potatoes.”

Because living at the mine limited schooling opportunities, Peggy, along with her brother, Lloyd, and sister, Flora moved back to Glendale, CA. They stayed in a motor-court type of housing and attended junior high school, not too far from their grandparents home. They later returned to Council, Idaho for high school.

When World War II began, gold mining became illegal as it didn’t help the war effort. Peggy’s parents and older sister, Helen, moved to San Francisco, while the younger siblings moved to her Grandmother’s farm. Eventually, the family reunited to live in San Francisco, where Peggy graduated from Balboa High School.

There was some disagreement about Peggy’s middle name. Her mother said it was Eleanor, after a great aunt, while her father was sure it was Elnora, after his mother. Since her birth certificate only stated “Baby Girl” Hamill, Peggy got to choose her middle name. So in 1953, her birth certificate was officially amended to Margaret Elnora Hamill.

About 1960, while working for a missionary organization called The Mustard Seed, Peggy spent a year living in Taiwan. She continued working part time for The Mustard Seed off and on for many years.

On June 14, 1963, she married William “Bill” Hungerford Barbour, Jr. Soon after marrying, she and Bill moved into their new home in Granada Hills, CA, where they lived until moving to University Village Thousand Oaks in 2014.

Peggy and Bill were fortunate to travel to over 93 countries during their marriage. They were also very involved in their church activities, and always donated time and financial offerings whenever they saw a need. They had a close knit family. Bill passed away in February, 2022. They are survived by son, Stephen of Japan, and daughter, Sharon of Woodland Hills, CA as well as several nieces and nephews.

A funeral service for Margaret will be held Wednesday, March 29, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park, Mortuary & Crematory, 5600 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, CA 91362.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.piercebrothersvalleyoaks.com for the Barbour family.