Peggy Lou Hunter

Peggy was born in Keytesville, MO, on November 24, 1928. She advocated for farming families all her life, and frequently returned to help can, and care for sick family members, during her early married life.

Peggy died at a nursing home in the Kansas City area on July 15, 2023. She was 95 years old.

Peggy is survived by her husband John F. Hunter. They were married 67 years.

Also in the Kansas City metro, Peggy is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Joel Jenkins. Her brother, Denny Pearman, and her brother-in-law, Ted Quick, both of Keytesville, and many nephews, nieces, and great-nephews and nieces from coast -to-coast, remember Peggy fondly.

Peggy had been an active member of Holmeswood Baptist Church, and carried that love and commitment with her to her nursing home, The Baptist Home of Chillicothe, Missouri.

She served Holmeswood faithfully since 1961. The high point of her service was with the youth group, Exclamations, counseling role that she and her husband, John served in. John was a deacon, and for many years, during his work assignments away from Kansas City, Peggy stepped in to make certain that the families knew additional help was available.

Peggy loved numbers and accounting. She worked for banks before her daughter was born, and spent later years working in the accounting department at Sears.

Saying Peggy was a devoted mother, does not say enough. She made clothes and costumes. She chauffeured Amy to additional classes, in dance, voice, piano, and so forth. Every holiday, she participated in room mother activities. She joined all of the PTAs and volunteered to help struggling readers at those schools, before education had paraeducators and reading specialists. Frequently, she invited teacher's over for dinner.

Peggy took up scouting when Amy expressed an interest in camping. She had John convert half of their basement to make room for all of the girls to have tables to sit and create. Both Peggy and Amy loved the camping trips to Camp Prairie Schooner and Timberlake. Always, Peggy coordinated full weekends and menus designed to engage the girls in their badge work and the love of nature.

Her days were full, but she always had a 3- or 4-course meal, as the national news came on. Peggy loved entertaining, decorating, and setting the table for themed meals. It's a tradition that has continued with her daughter. Her lasagna and stroganoff were favorites among guests.

Her interests included gardening, flower arranging, and landscape design; if there was a garden tour in Kansas City or St. Louis, she was happy to go there. She loved playing cards and games such as Scrabble, Hearts, and Bingo. Peggy was a member of the Hickman Mills Garden Club, and a bridge club. She joined a group of mothers at a friend's home to paint and fire ceramics. If a jigsaw picture was out, Peggy had difficulty walking away from it. Everywhere she joined in, her love of life and joy came with her.

One of Peggy's great pleasures included travel. She had been to all 50 states by car, plane, or cruise. Most of the National Parks had been ticked off her list. Peggy and John traveled through Canada from Vancouver to New Brunswick, and south from the Yukon to Vancouver on yet another trip. She'd been to Mexico several times. She loved to cruise the Caribbean. Highpoints of her travels were a trip to Australia with Amy, a Panama Canal crossing with John, and cruising as far south as Venezuela. If a cruise was part of her trip, Peggy was ready to go; she and John went to most of the Caribbean islands. If a garden or arboretum tour were available on the trip, those were her first choice for excursions.

As she aged and she and John left their home, to move to John Knox Village, she discovered wonderful friends in building F. Her daughter Amy fondly remembers visiting with all of her mother's new acquaintances.

Peggy and her laughter will be missed.

A service for Peggy was held Friday, July 21, 2023 at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, Kansas City, Missouri. Peggy was laid to rest in Mount Moriah Cemetery South.