MARGARET EMILY (PEGGY) OSWALD (O'SULLIVAN)

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MARGARET EMILY (PEGGY) OSWALD (nee O'SULLIVAN) Peacefully, after a brief illness, on May 30, 2007, Peggy Oswald passed away at Victoria General Hospital, at the age of 76, with her family at her side. She was courageous in her acceptance of the circumstances she faced in her final few days, and inspiringly graceful as she made her exit. She will be deeply missed by those she loved and who loved her. Peggy was born Margaret Emily O'Sullivan on November 11, 1930, the eldest child of Joseph and Gladys O'Sullivan. She lived her entire life in Winnipeg, growing up in the city's North End alongside siblings Joe, Pat, Maureen and Sheila, and was someone who forever valued family and fun. As a youngster, she enjoyed greatly her various adventures and celebrations with her friends at the Kildonan Canoe Club, and she carried the memories of her experiences there through the rest of her life. She embraced every opportunity to enjoy the sun, sand and beauty of Manitoba's lakes, and had particularly fond memories of her times at Grand Beach and Bird Lake. In 1955, she married Raymond Kenneth Oswald. Together, they raised three children, Gregory, Bradley and Theresa, of whom they were endlessly supportive and proud. Peggy loved the home they shared in south St. Vital, and particularly enjoyed the time she spent on the deck and around the back-yard firepit on those seemingly endless Canadian summer evenings. Throughout her adult years, Peggy was a devoted mother who inspired in her children a love and respect for words and language, a facility for quick, sharp wit and an unexplainable affection for the occasional spontaneous outburst of song. She loved words and wordplay, had an enduring affection for those big weekend crosswords that confound so many across-and-down devotees, and had a love of games and good-hearted competition that was obvious to anyone who ever traded Password clues with Peggy or sat on the other side of a cribbage board from her. Peggy was also a career-minded person at a time when it was less than fashionable for women to pursue workplace ambitions; she spent many happy years as the receptionist at Burns Meats, where she earned the respect and affection of all who encountered her. She is survived by her children, Greg, Brad (Pam) and Theresa (Sam); grandson Jack; and sisters, Sheila (Bill), Pat (Don) and Maureen. She was predeceased by her husband Ray; brother Joe; and sister-in-law Ruth. Many thanks to the physicians and nursing staff at Victoria General Hospital for making Peggy's final few days so peaceful and comfortable. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of Peggy's life will take place Saturday, June 2 at 2:00 p.m. at Southwood Golf and Country Club, 101 Markham Road (standard dress code in effect). And when Irish eyes are smiling, Sure they'll steal your heart away

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 01, 2007