Margaret West

Peggy passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 28, 2025, at the S. Mitchell Mack Hospice House in Mooresville, North Carolina, with her daughter by her side. She was 81 years old.

Peggy was born on January 27, 1944, in Collingswood, New Jersey, to Leland and Miriam Blaisdell, and grew up in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. She spent many joyful summers in Owls Head, Maine, and weekends at the family cabins on Little Pine Lake in Browns Mills, New Jersey. During her youth, she was a member of Audubon Methodist Church, where her faith took root.

While in high school, Peggy appeared several times on Dick Clark's American Bandstand television show in Philadelphia-an experience she remembered fondly throughout her life. She graduated from Haddon Heights High School in 1962.

Shortly after graduation, Peggy met her future husband, Joe, at a local dance. They were married two years later at Peggy's home church and began a partnership that lasted more than six decades. After welcoming their daughter, Donna, in 1965, the family moved to Garner, North Carolina, in 1966, and later settled in Clayton, North Carolina, in 1987, where they built a warm and welcoming home.

Over the years, Peggy worked as a preschool teacher and a receptionist-roles that suited her kind demeanor, organizational skills, and gift for making others feel seen and cared for. She was happiest when surrounded by friends and family, and her greatest fulfillment came from being a mother of one and grandmother of six. We know she would have been the best great-grandmother to Lindsey Jean, the daughter of Abigail and Daniel Kepple, expected in August.

Peggy cherished the simple pleasures of life with Joe: visits to White Lake and Lake Lure in North Carolina, collecting antiques, attending classic car shows, and watching the Atlanta Braves-Dale Murphy forever her favorite. She enjoyed crafts, including drawing, painting, and cross-stitching, and she journaled daily snippets of life on her calendar for as long as we can remember. Maybe that's why she always had such an incredible memory for dates.

Easy-going and always smiling, Peggy got along with everyone and loved making others laugh with her goofy sense of humor.

Peggy is survived by her loving husband, Joseph C. West; her daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Randy Clark of Mooresville, NC; and her grandchildren: Abigail Kepple (Daniel), Marley Pell (Chris), Payton (fiancée Natalie), Ethan, Lainey, and Dylan. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leland and Miriam Blaisdell, and her sister, Judy Harvey.

A memorial service to celebrate Peggy's life will be held on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at 3:00 PM at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, 1200 Benson Road, Garner, North Carolina.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Peggy's memory to the Alzheimer's Association at www.donorservices.alz.org.

Peggy's legacy is one of laughter and love. Her warmth and light will continue to shine in the hearts of everyone who knew her-and in every generation that follows.

A service of Bryan-Lee Funeral Home - Garner.