Thelma Peglow Poe

Thelma was born February 21, 1929 in Pittsburgh to Walter and Margaret Peglow and died of Alzheimer’s disease on December 27, 2014. She married Richard (Dick) A. Poe on May 16, 1947 and raised three girls: Lynn Ann, Patti Jean, and Sheri Ellen.

As a career Army officer’s wife, Thelma traveled the world and saw to it that her daughters were exposed to cuisines and culture wherever they went. In many cases, the cuisine was later a mainstay at the family dinner table. The Army life wasn’t only about fun: She endured year-long separations from her husband when he served a tour to Korea, and two tours to Vietnam.

Thelma was a seamstress, a gourmet cook, and a lifetime advocate for the underserved. When her youngest daughter was in high school, Thelma began working outside the home and attending college. She graduated from St. Leo’s College near Tampa, FL to begin a career as a social worker. Thelma worked in a methadone clinic during the 1980s during the emergence of the AIDS virus. She dedicated the rest of her career to AIDS prevention education. She became a leader in the training of clinicians and social workers in Florida so that they could communicate AIDS prevention more effectively. Thelma and Dick adopted and raised their grandson during these active years. In 2006, Thelma and Dick left their Tampa home of 37 years and moved to Salt Lake City.

Thelma is preceded in death by her parents and siblings, and by Lynn Ann, who died in 2001. She is survived by her husband; daughters Patti Poe Woodward (Roger) of Shelbyville, IN, and Sheri Poe Bernard (Michael) of Salt Lake City; and grandchildren Aaron Michael (AJ) Poe (Erin), Charles Richard Bernard, and Flora Lee Bernard.

Funeral Services will be Friday, January 2nd. 11 am at Evans and Early Mortuary 574 East 100 South. Please share online condolences at www.evans-earlymortuary.com.