Obituary of Margaret (Peg) TAYLOR (nee Davies)

June 5, 1928 – Llanelly, Wales
February 24, 2021 - Calgary, Alberta

It is with sadness that the family of Margaret (Peg) Taylor announces her peaceful but sudden passing early in the morning of Wednesday, February 24, 2021 in Calgary, AB, at the age of 92 years.

Peg was born in Llanelly, Wales, where she lived with her parents and older sister Dorothea (Disa). She grew up in a close-knit community with plenty of extended family nearby. Her dad was a “foundry-man”, who played clarinet in a group in his spare time, and her mother was a hardworking home maker, who always ensured the two girls were dressed to perfection. Peg often told stories of the four of them taking seaside holidays in the family’s motorcycle with sidecar.  Peg and her sister went through their adolescence during WWII, but she never spoke of the rationing etc., as being a hardship. This is likely where she developed her “get on with it” approach to life.

After the war, Peg attended Teachers College in London and then emigrated with her parents to Canada in 1946, following her sister who  married a Canadian serviceman the previous year. Pegs parents eventually settled in Calgary, while she attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton, to obtain her teaching credentials. It was here that she met Nick, while on a train going home for Christmas. Following graduation Peg taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Blackfalds, AB, 1948/49, while Nick finished his degrees in geology and mining engineering, and they were married on October 1, 1949.

Peg took on her new role as wife, mother and homemaker with gusto!  She and Nick had nine children with only fourteen years between the oldest and the youngest. Peg had converted to Catholicism prior to being married and she regularly attended religious education (CCD) sessions and was an active member of church service organizations aimed at helping the community (CWL).  Family was her number one priority and she was devoted to creating a stable, loving home.  She took one weekend a year away from her family, to attend the St. Francis Retreat in Cochrane, spending two full days on her own in contemplative silence.

Once the youngest of the children was close to being on their own, Peg went “back to school”, obtaining a BFa from the University of Calgary. She was always interested in art, history, architecture and design, and embraced her studies and pursued her long-time passion for painting. She was an inspired and prolific painter, eventually settling on acrylics as her favoured medium. You can find her work on the walls in the homes of her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, friends and acquaintances. Over the years, Peg became involved in the artists groups and guilds in her community, participating in art shows, adjudicating art at the college level, and forming strong bonds and lasting friendships along the way.

In addition to her passion for art, Peg and Nick both shared a love of music, particularly Opera. They were frequent travelers and at each new place, they sought out an opera to see. For several years their vacations were centered around Opera, often attending two performances each day. Music and art nourished her spirit and to share these experiences with Nick was perfect in her eyes.

Peg was a beautiful woman, inside and out.  She had a brilliance and vivacity that drew you in, making you feel special and warm.  She had a snappy sense of humour and could entertain you with her stories and anecdotes. At her core, she had a powerful strength of character that helped to support her family during difficult times.  She was decisive and didn’t dwell on problems, choosing rather to take the necessary action and then get on with things.  She didn’t let the slings and arrows thrown at her by life, diminish her faith and belief in the beauty that surrounded her every day.

Peg was devoted to her family and in particular to Nick, who was her chosen life partner, best friend, lover, confidante, husband and biggest fan.  She was his constant rock and he, hers. They were the perfect fit for one another, gently and unconsciously adjusting to the ebb and flow, the give and take that makes a marriage. They shared their 71st wedding anniversary in October just days before Nick passed away.  And after only 4 1/2 months apart in those 71 years, they are together again for eternity.

Peg will be lovingly remembered by her children, Patrice, Jennifer, Terry (Louise), Sheila, Ally, Susan (Brad) Waugh, and Sarah (Ed) Brouwer; her thirteen grandchildren, Melody, Will (Erin), Zin (Emilie Lauriola), Chris (Floor Dekkers), Fred, Aron (Michelle Tong), Simon, Bailey (Robert) Palmer, Robyn (Richard Dahms), Mariah, Maxine, Matthew, and Nikki, and her three great-grandchildren, Jamie, Dylan, and Zazie.  Peg is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Jean (Chuck) Sayre of Seattle and Laura (Adam) Hamilton of Parksville; her dear nieces, Stephanie (Hughes), Debbie (Depew) and Nancy (Schefter), and several other nieces and nephews.

Peg was predeceased by her parents, Lemuel in 1993 and Gladys (née Martin) in 1996; her sister Dorothea (Disa) Roberts in 2014 and by her beloved husband, Nicholas William (Nick) in October 2020, and their children, Catherine Marie (Cayt) McGuire in 2009 and Ian Nicholas in 2004.

Due to Covid restrictions, there will be a small, private Funeral Mass for immediate family on Friday, March 5, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Calgary. The service will be available for viewing through a video link which will be posted on the McInnis & Holloway website. The family invites friends, other family members and acquaintances to share their memories, photos and sign the guestbook on Peg’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com. The family plans to have a Celebration of Life later in the year for both Peg and Nick, when it’s possible to gather again in large groups to share in honoring their lives.

In lieu of flowers, the family is kindly asking that donations be made instead to the CNIB Guide Dog Program, https://cnib.ca/en; or to The Mustard Seed, https://giving.theseed.ca/donate/ 

In living memory of Peggy Taylor, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.