Peggy Ann Studzinski

• Guests will be received Thursday, Dec 13 and Friday, Dec 14 from 2 to 8pm; Pixley Funeral Home,

3530 Auburn Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326

• Celebratory mass will be held Saturday, December 15 at 2pm; St. Hugo of the Hills, 2215 Opdyke Road,

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

• Attire: Peggy left explicit instructions – “Don’t wear black and be sad, it’s a celebration. Come dressed sassy.”

Donations: Despite Peggy’s love of gardening, she left very specific instructions that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the following institutions dear to her heart.

1) Karmanos Cancer Institute: Make checks payable to “Karmanos Cancer Institute: Melanoma Program” for advancing research to KMA.

Send directly to:

Lawrence E. Flaherty, M.D.

4100 John R

Mailcode: HW04HO

Detroit, MI 48201

2) St. Augustine & St. Monica: finish renovation of the parish gymnasium to host midnight basketball for the neighborhood kids; funds for the floor already secured, additional donations will repair the walls and ceiling from the water damage.

Send directly to:

Rev. Daniel Trapp

4151 Seminole Street

Detroit, MI 48214

Make checks payable to “St. Augustine & St. Monica"

Note "Gym renovation” in the memo

Peggy lived life to the fullest, her way. In remembrance, here is a brief tribute to her larger than life spirit.

High standards. Peggy set incredibly high standards for herself and not only achieved them, but often surpassed them. She initially began taking college courses as a means to secure financial aid during Melissa’s college years. Seven years later she walked away from Oakland University with lifelong friendships and the title of Valedictorian. Even when it came to something as simple as cleaning the house, there was a high bar for what was acceptable. There were three levels: (1) picked up, (2) half ass, and (3) clean. ‘Clean’ meant everything in the room had to be moved and scrubbed top to bottom and underneath. In her mind, there was only one way worth doing the job – clean.

Organized. At Peggy’s house, there is a place for everything and everything was always in its place. Her organizational skills were truly amazing. As a result, she knew how to locate anything and everything. To ensure everything will stay in order in her absence, Peggy left labels and instructions all over the house. Seriously.

Style. Peggy always dressed to the nines, even for her last appointment at Karmanos. She was well known for being perfectly accessorized, particularly for the hat collection she amassed over the last year. Her closet is legendary – filled with every designer label you can imagine – every piece procured at a bargain basement price or she left it on the rack. She never paid retail. In fact, how little Peggy paid for things was something she prided herself on. Fluent in all forms of the ‘deal’ – Peggy knew the inside scoop on accumulating the most points, getting ‘on the list’ for coupons, attaining elite account status, applying for the store’s private label credit card AND how to use all of it in combination to get the best price. In some cases, it almost seemed like the store paid her to take the merchandise, with its own associates even assisting her! Peggy LOVED telling stories about each and every one of her infamous bargains, usually involving something she was wearing that day. She shared the wealth. Friends that accompanied Peggy on her shopping trips walked away with a PhD in how to be a smarter shopper.

Teacher. Peggy was full of wisdom and always ready and willing to share with others. She was an incredible resource on almost any topic imaginable. You couldn’t stump her. Need to clean up your credit score? Peggy knew who to call and what to do. Need to lose weight? Peggy would pull together a personalized diet and exercise plan (while undergoing whole brain radiation, she took the time to give nutrition tips to one of the techs at Karmanos). Have a pesky stain in your favorite sweater? Peggy had the perfect concoction to erase it. Need a plumber? A tailor? A banker? A hairdresser? Peggy had a friend that could help.

Perspective. In Peggy’s mind, the glass was always full. Whenever someone expressed doubt or uncertainty around Peggy, her first response was always “Why not?” She had an incredible ability to be cognizant of the entire picture, but focus on the positive. This enabled Peggy to make what seemed impossible actually possible. When the kitchen designer told Peggy that there was no way to give her the kitchen she wanted within the architect’s original plan, she took it upon herself to rework everything. It took several iterations, but she eventually figured out how to configure the kitchen ‘Peggy’s Way’ while staying within the budget. From that point forward, she got more involved in the reconstruction project, ultimately quitting her job to be at the house full-time, “assisting” the builder. For those that have visited the house, what a successful partnership! Seven years later, Peggy and the builder were still in close contact.

Connection. Whether you knew her for 5 minutes or 50 years, Peggy left an indelible mark on every person she came in contact with. Her inner circle was a collage of personalities, activities, colors, ages, interests, and careers collected during her journey through life. Peggy was famous for connecting disparate groups of people whose paths never would have crossed had it not been for their friendship with her. In Peggy’s eyes, every encounter or event was an opportunity to make a new friend. A perfect example is that of the local exterminator. Turns out, Peggy was on the ‘unlimited’ plan to get rid of the critters at the new house and they had spent enough time together to become friends. Melissa was at home during one of his regular visits and was surprised to discover that he knew as much about her life as a close relative. A close family friend said it well, if you ‘bumped into’ Peggy at a party, and had never met her before, you were going to leave that night knowing everything about her, and she knowing everything about you.

Grace. While Peggy appreciated and enjoyed material things, she never valued them as anything more than that. When accidents happened, she never let the fate of material possessions phase her at all. While at Detroit Golf Club one night for dinner, a large bowl of gazpacho soup was dropped all over her soaking her hair, face and outfit. Instead of lamenting about her suit, she marched right into the kitchen to ensure there would be no repercussions on the wait staff. Peggy reassured the server with her oft-quoted line, “nobody died, everything is fixable.” She enjoyed her dinner in a hoodie from the Pro Shop next door. Similarly, when a red wine spill stained the grout on her brand new kitchen floor, she shrugged her shoulders and uttered her other infamous retort “it’s only stuff.”

Impact. Peggy’s KMA blog (http://peggysposse.blogspot.com) is a poignant chronicle of her experience with Stage IV melanoma – allowing every reader to feel like they were in it with her. Her willingness to bare it all generated a groundswell of support that helped Peggy persevere through the most challenging moments of her battle.

As we are learning through her blog, Peggy had an impact that extends beyond those who knew her. We are grateful to the Anonymous author of the following comment for letting us know that he/she was touched by Peggy. “While I did not know Peggy personally, I was made aware of her situation (and, by proxy, this blog) through a friend close to the Studzinski family. One thing that stands out to me is how Peggy is always smiling and exuding joy in the vast majority of the pictures posted on this blog. Blogs about a person's battle with illness typically do not emit such warmth. In personifying the attributes of courage, strength, and hope, her living memory acts as an exaltation of the human spirit. She embraced her illness and did so with dignity and grace. Again, I never knew Peggy. It is a testament of her inspirational fortitude and life that I am motivated to write this. My deepest condolences to Keith, Melissa, and Andy.”

Perhaps Peggy was unknowingly inspired by Frank Sinatra, the lyrics to his song “My Way” may capture it best:

And now, the end is here

And so I face the final curtain

My friend, I'll say it clear

I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full

I traveled each and ev'ry highway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Regrets, I've had a few

But then again, too few to mention

I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew

When I bit off more than I could chew

But through it all, when there was doubt

I ate it up and spit it out

I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way

I've loved, I've laughed and cried

I've had my fill, my share of losing

And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing

To think I did all that

And may I say, not in a shy way,

"Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"

For what is a man, what has he got?

If not himself, then he has naught

To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels

The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!

Yes, it was my way