Margaret Peacock Michalak

March 7, 1927 – December 11, 2024

Margaret Peacock Michalak (nee Drover), March 7, 1927 – December 11, 2024, passed away with grace and in peace on December 11, 2024. In her final hours she was surrounded by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, beloved nieces and nephews, extended relatives and friends. She received their love in her final moments as she had given her love to them throughout her life. A Celebration of Margaret's life will be scheduled sometime in 2025.

Margaret was a noble and caring soul. She saw the humanity in everyone. She was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1927. Her early years were steeped in the global drama of the Great Depression and World War II. It was at a Valentine’s Day dance in Edinburgh during the war when she met an American GI, based outside of London, who had come up to Edinburgh on a weekend pass, to find respite from the war’s madness. He found his lifelong partner. Raymond Ludwig Michalak married Margaret Peacock Drover on July 30, 1945, just outside of London. The war in Europe was over and soon it would be over worldwide.

Margaret joined Ray in Buffalo, NY to run the family grocery market located at the corner of William Street and Charles Street in Cheektowaga. They would grow their family to four children during those years: Andrew Arthur, Madeline, Douglas Ian, Robert John. After moving from Cheektowaga to Eggertsville, another sister, Gwen, joined the brood.

Over the years, Margaret was proud of her growing family with eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. The other deep love of her life was her Scottish heritage and Edinburgh, Scotland. She was a great storyteller, remembering details of her life that told the story of her generation, a generation that lived through changes such as the horse-drawn dairy cart delivering fresh milk in the morning to space exploration to being able to see and hear her family members on electronic devices no matter where they were in the world. One of her more novel memories was when she and Ray were extras in the movies The Natural and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Margaret was a poetic matriarch of her family. She was the loving author of endless stories filled with history, humor and humanity. She always underscored them all with her deep love for her family and friends. In the words of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns, "O would some power the gift give us, to see ourselves as others see us." We see you Margaret as the marvelous woman you were. We were all blessed to have you in our lives.

To see her is to love her,

And love but her forever;

For nature made her what she is,

And never made another!

- Robert Burns

Margaret Peacock Michalak is survived by:

Andrew Michalak (Yvonne Daum): Todd (Lynette Lex), Azure, Drew; Scott (Paula Antunes), John Andrew, McKenna; Madeline (Loren Ratajczak), Chad (Jennifer Lata), Gavin, Trevor, Owen; Rachel; Gretchen (Eric Schmitt), Greta; Lauren (Jim Roaldi); Douglas Michalak (Jolene Bak), Taryn, Kendra (Robert Lockhart), Levi; Robert Michalak (Sarah Forbes), Trevor, Lily, Raymond; Gwen Michalak.

Predeceased by: W. Arthur Peacock Drover; Mary Jane (Jardine) Drover; Raymond Ludwig Michalak; Betty (Jardine) Middlecote; John Peacock Drover; Kristen Gill.