Marguerite Flippen Smith

She was born on December 5, 1936. She was a gifted ballet dancer during her childhood and would travel to NY with Marion Mease each summer. After graduating from Thomas Jefferson in ’55, she briefly attended Mary Baldwin College but married her high school love Howard Smith and they started their adventure. By 1973, they had 5 children and bought a horse farm in Elmont to continue building their dream. Over her 80+ years, she became a ballet teacher, professional clown, car salesperson, computer programmer, stockbroker, insurance agent, financial advisor, landlord, and so much more. She loved knitting Christmas stockings and singing nursery rhymes to her grandchildren. She had a passion for the stock market and could quickly analyze financial trends to her gain. Instead of baking cookies, she was known to discuss the market with her children and grandchildren. Over her lifetime she raised horses, exotic birds (over 100+ in her flock), a guinea pig, iguana, monkey, snakes, and cats, and bred Schnauzers, Maltese, Poodles, and Maltipoos. She had a spectacular, brilliant, courageous soul and she persevered. Her intelligence and wit were formidable and when she had an idea, many quickly learned not to stand in her way. The word NO only gave her purpose to prove that she would succeed.

Mama Peggy is survived by her five children: Marie Hancock (Warren), Howard “Marty” Smith (Mitraporn), Elizabeth “Beth” Harris (Overton), Margaret “Meg” Archer (Brad), and Martha Pearce (Kevin); ten grandchildren, Elsie Hacker (Douglas), Michelle Hollender (Tyler), Kenneth Hancock, Frances Wingfield (Charles), Marshall Hancock (Lindsey), Philip Smith (Georgia), Quinn Archer, Grant Archer, Nash Pearce, and Boyd Pearce; and five great-grandchildren, Presley & Wyatt Hollender, Roland Wingfield, Eleanor Hancock, and Evelyn Hacker; and numerous nieces, nephews, and a slew of Snead cousins from Fluvanna County. She will also be dearly missed by her beloved childhood friends, of over 80+ years, Tudy and Connie with whom they played, danced, laughed, and loved through all the stages of their lives. She is predeceased in death by her parents Philip E. & Elsie Snead Flippen; brothers: Philip and Roswell Flippen; and her former husband Howard I. Smith.

The family would like to sincerely thank Mama Peggy’s dedicated caregivers who loved her in her final years. The family is profoundly grateful to Suncrest Hospice and Alpha House for their outstanding care in her final months. They took care of all of the difficult details enabling us to focus on loving our mother to the fullest in her final days. Because Alzheimer’s steals so much, the family requests to spend time with your loved ones and reminisce about their cherished memories. Those memories are too precious not to share.

Join us in celebrating Mama's life by sharing happy memories.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s – RVA (team name:Peggy’s Peanuts: https://act.alz.org/site/TR?team_id=880608&pg=team&fr_id=17985).