My mother, Peggy Elizabeth Daines, died peacefully of complications due to old age, on December 17, 2017, at the home that me and her granddaughter, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Allard, share.
Both of her parents and her sisters Helen, (Griffin) and Marianne (Jessop) predeceased her in death.
She is survived by her daughter, Tenley (Meikle) Allard; grandson, Christopher Allard, his wife, Cindy (Patten) Allard; and her granddaughter, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Allard. She adopted Kaitlyn's middle name as her own, having always feeling left out not having a middle name! She is also survived by her sister, Donna Christiansen, her brother, Tracy Daines, and his wife, Marcie Daines.
Peggy was born on November 27, 1931, in Lewiston, Utah to Homer Gibson Daines and Mary Johnson Daines. She was raised in Smithfield, Utah and graduated in 1950 as the North Cache High School student body vice president.
Following in her parents’ example of teaching she attended the Utah State University and graduated with a degree in education. She taught physical education and English in high schools at North Cache, Victorville, California; Kemmerer, Wyoming; and Danbury, Connecticut.
Mom had a very energetic personality and loved playing softball and watching football, especially the New York Giants and the UConn women’s basketball team. She would frequently try to make a bank shot in the classroom, which delighted and amazed her students.
Kemmerer, Wyoming is where she met Dean and Ann Thorpe, and their sons Jamie and Drew. After surviving the dust storms, tumbleweeds, and wild horses in Kemmerer, the Thorpe's got transferred to Connecticut and invited us to join them.
Mom loved Connecticut and the sound of the ocean and the different birds. We frequently went to the Saugatuck River to feed the swans and signets, while enjoying a Hostess cupcake. We lived with the Thorpe's for many years. Mom and Annie move to New Milford, Connecticut to have a shorter commute to the high school at which they both taught. They lived in an old fishing log cabin, but Annie had the vision to turn it into a showcase, and many holiday parties were enjoyed there. My kids loved the log cabin, enjoying the little stream and feeding the birds for grandma.
She was loved by her family, friends and her students. She had excellent leadership skills and was a role model to all and a great mother. Her sense of humor kept everyone entertained.
Her greatest delight in life were her grandchildren. She loved watching her grandchildren grow up. She would spend hours reading to them, watching Disney movies and playing catch in living room with Christopher when she knew she wasn’t supposed to.
She never quite knew what to do with Kaitlyn because Kaitlyn was her “mini me” and they would frequently butt heads. Each one wanted to be in charge and the other one refused to let the other one have their way. It was comical to observe.
She frequently took the bus from Connecticut to Barrington, Rhode Island to watch my kids in their sports activities and would always sneak into Kaitlyn's dance classes. They brought her immeasurable happiness and joy.
She also loved bird watching, long drives in the Connecticut countryside and up Logan Canyon in Utah.
My mom was my biggest cheerleader during some trying times, and always wanted the best for me.
Mom had many special times after moving in with us and each time Kaitlyn came into the room she would light up like a Christmas tree! She had the pleasure of celebrating her 86th birthday first with Christopher, a wonderful tradition. Then Donna, Tracy and Marcie treated her with a visit and they had fun reminiscing about their childhood antics. It was a beautiful time to see them back together. They spoiled mom with her own personal tree, adorned with cardinals and pinecones. It became her night-light. It was a very special time.
We would like to thank Watermark in Southbury and Denise Jullian for keeping an eye on Mom for me after Annie passed away. My mom was a voracious reader and would frequently stay up until 4 a.m. just reading “one more chapter”! I told her she was living her teenage years again. She had many good friends at Watermark and enjoyed dining with them, playing bridge, and attending musical events with her friends. And most important was March Madness with the UCONN women's basketball team.
I would also like to thank Wanda and the staff at The Springs — Watermark’s health care center — especially Tammy and Julie whom I spoke with almost every night. Also, Tom, Katie, Dianne and others for the TLC and time spent gabbing and listening to my mom's stories. They truly became like an extended family.
We would also like to thank Regional Hospice in Danbury for their care and compassion. Special thank you to Mary, a volunteer who called me after every visit and regaled in telling me the funny stories and experiences she would have with mom. It was a highlight of my day! She was a gift in mom's life.
I would also like to thank Beacon Hospice who took over mom's care when she finally moved to the Cape. Our nurse Carla Torres was always gentle, kind and compassionate. I would also like to thank Dr. Jen Patten for her kindness. Our hospice angel was Sarah who came over the day mom passed and just wrapped me in the biggest bear hug; she then went to Kaitlyn... It was a hug we never knew we needed until Sarah enveloped us. She sat with as we cried, and listened to our stories. She was exactly what we needed during our time of grief.
We would also like to thank Samantha Donahue for her unending patience. She would watch old Westerns with mom staring Randolph Scott and showed great kindness, to both mom and us.
Lastly, I would like to thank Kaitlyn and our sweet dog Maddie. Without their help I would have crumbled. Kaitlyn drove us to see mom in Connecticut for over a year because I was still recovering from my stem-cell transplant and unable to do the drive alone. Kaitlyn helped with getting the house ready. Her strong muscles came in very handy. She was truly a gift. My heart will forever be grateful for her. Without her help we would not have been able to bring grandma home. She did the shopping, laundry and cooking — making some of moms' favorite meals.
And special thanks to my social worker at Dana Farber, Kelly Giles, for keeping me as sane as possible during this time of grief.
And my love and appreciation to Julie Butler, my best-friend for 50 years, who showered me with love, attention and constant TLC. Words cannot express how much I needed her. I am also so grateful for the support I have received from another childhood gem, Ricki Manuel Nelms.
My mom was a remarkable woman filled with love, humor, compassion, empathy and the biggest heart ever! . I will miss my mom every day of my life. Every time we see a red cardinal we will know she is watching over us.
Funeral arrangements are being provided by Casper Funeral Service-http://www.casperfuneralservices.com/
A guest book will be available online for 60 days.
Donations in her memory maybe be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
A memorial service will be held in the spring on Cape Cod. We will be planting a memorial garden and planting a Christmas tree and hanging lots of bird feeders, a birdbath and steppingstones and chairs so that we can sit and talk to mom. We are asking those interested to write a funny memory they had with mom. I will be compiling these memories of mom and making books for Kaitlyn, Christopher and myself to cherish.
If possible, a hand-written memory would be wonderful and more personal. If you would like to know my mailing address please email me at [email protected].