Hanson Services recently lost one of our long-time, well-loved employees. Peggy Kilroy came to Hanson in 1999. She brought many skills with her and became an invaluable asset to the company over the years.
She was born in 1936, the youngest of eight children. Her brothers decided her name, Martha Elizabeth, was too long and formal, so she became Peggy. She preferred the nickname herself and refused to respond to the name Martha even when being addressed by teachers. From her early days, Peggy had an independent spirit.
One of Peggy’s first jobs was at Ohio Bell, where she met her husband, John Kilroy. While John was in the Army, the couple lived in Germany where John was stationed for a time. While there Peggy began to feel ill but soon learned she was not sick with some exotic disease as she had suspected, but pregnant with twins. Her morning sickness was so severe, the Army made arrangements to send her home. Unfortunately, it sent her by ship! After enduring morning sickness, sea sickness, toxemia and premature labor, Peggy delivered the twins successfully. Experiencing hardship was never something that stopped Peggy. Despite the challenges of her first pregnancy, Peggy and John had four more children.
With a full crew of three boys and three girls, Peggy devoted herself to her children to give them happy, active lives. And, whether as a member of PTA, a Girl Scout Leader or a Cub Scout Leader, she could always be found participating in and guiding their experiences. She would remain an active participant in many church, community and political organizations throughout her life.
Once the children were older, Peggy went back to work at Ohio Bell to help work on a special project. She was hired to take meeting minutes and keep the team organized. During her first meeting one of her co-workers dropped the “F” bomb. Not one to tolerate inappropriate language in the workplace, Peggy said, “Excuse me, is that spelled with an “f” or a “ph”? I want to capture it correctly in the minutes.” No one ever swore in those meetings again.
Peggy and John eventually became a custodial couple at an apartment complex. They enjoyed meeting new people and living in their own apartment. After John passed away, Peggy worked as a live-in caregiver for a friend living with quadriplegia. Although it was physically demanding, as a natural born caregiver, Peggy found the experience enriching as well. It was during this time that she met Mary Ann Hanson, owner of Hanson Services.
When the time came for Peggy to move on to her next adventure, Mary Ann invited her to join Hanson Services. She did many different jobs during her time at Hanson, including customer service, marketing, human resources, and anything else she was asked to do as need arose! Peggy became a go-to for resolving some of the trickier situations with clients and staff. She was always a great listener and able to respect and honor all points of view in a disagreement. Whatever task Peggy was handling, she did it with care and integrity.
Peggy was also a lot of fun! She had a great sense of humor and was quick to laugh. She was proud of her Irish heritage and loved a good celebration. She observed the world around her with keen interest and often shared a perspective about a situation that most people failed to notice. Although Peggy endured many hardships in life, she kept her faith in goodness and tried to be a source of positivity and optimism. We here at Hanson Services will always remember her and cherish the time we had with her.
Those we love don’t go away,
They walk beside us every day,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed and very dear.
1 Comment
Thank you for this wonderful memorial to our mother. She loved you all and enjoyed her occasional calls with customers.