Peggy Glover

Peggy Glover, whose perpetually optimistic outlook and approach to life awed those who knew her, died peacefully in her sleep Thursday . She had just turned 87 on Tuesday .

Born in the tiny town of Becker in 1931, she was the oldest of five siblings who lived a hard-scrabble life before moving to Columbus when she was in eighth grade. She is survived by all of them: Patsy, Wallace, Sue and Linda.

She met local constable Tom Glover when she was still in high school and working in the circuit clerk’s office. After a sometimes quirky courtship — their dates would often consist of her waiting in the car with a friend while he visited his friends in a downtown smoke shop — they married in 1952. As they started and grew their family, she had a varied and vibrant career: at the Commercial Dispatch as a features writer and editor; at the Columbus Air Force Base in airplane maintenance; working as a secretary for the circuit clerk’s office; and finally, settling in for a long tenure as a secretary and accountant at the road paving firm Warren Brothers (later APAC).

Any accomplishments in work, though, paled when compared to the pride she took in her six children: Jeff (who died of epilepsy in 1995), Stan, Rice (Pam), Anne (Renee), Helen (Scott) and Suzy (Brian). As her time with us grew short, we talked about what she wanted people to know about her. Her answer was always the same: “That I raised such wonderful children.” (Of course, we know who helped us become that way.) That pride also extended to her 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

For her 80th birthday, we compiled a list of “80 Things About Peggy.” In reality, it was more like 120 by the time everyone contributed a memory. The truth is, even if she had lived to be 1,000, we would have never run out of wonderful, wacky things that endeared her to all who knew her. To adequately convey even the slightest essence of what made her special would be impossible, but here are some things that stand out in our minds:

Her loving devotion to our special needs brother, Stan. Through her perseverance and patience, she ensured that he had a normal, happy life. She was one of the instrumental parents who helped get the Lowndes County Association for Retarded Children established, giving support to many people with mentally challenged children. We all grew up knowing that people like Stan are, indeed, very special.

Her selfless caregiving for so many others. She learned home dialysis when Tom needed it and nursed him until his death in 1988. She also cared for many elderly relatives, including both her father and father-in-law as they were dying.And she took in our brother Jeff in his final years as epilepsy took over (and ultimately cost him) his life. She quickly learned all about diabetes when Stan was stricken with the disease in his 50s, and learned how to test his blood and administer shots three times a day.

Her exceptional skills as the neighborhood Mom, and later, MeMaw. Her home was always filled with kids, cousins, assorted relatives and friends. You knew you were loved and cared about in her presence. She was fun, but firm and fair when she needed to be.

Her — shall we say creative? — decorating techniques on a budget. No one could use print contact paper in quite so many clever ways.

Her good, sweet nature. She rolled with whatever made others happy. That meant putting up with the hard-drinking men during weekends at Halbert’s Fish Camp while corralling five small children in 98-degree heat. Or watching her fried chicken disappear when people would drop by on Sundays and devour the leftovers. Or watching, with Stan always in tow, probably thousands of soccer games, little league baseball games, dance recitals, band concerts and Special Olympics events all over the state. (We could go on and on about this category, but you get the picture.)

Her sense of fashion. No one could rock a pair of super large sunglasses and a red turtleneck sweater quite like her.

And finally, her strength. We will never know how much stress and worry she carried all of these years when times got hard, because she never expressed despair or gave voice to her fears. She simply got up every day and did what she needed to do. She inspired us all.

Because Mother’s life was so intertwined with Stan’s, we wanted to let everyone know he will continue his life in the house he and Mother lived in. He’ll just have brother Rice and his wife, Pam, as his new caregivers.

We’re grateful to our hospice team from Camellia who gave us support and tender care in her last few weeks: Karen, Jerry, Kristen and Lisa. And we’re grateful to her sister-in-law, Beth Glover, for her friendship and support all these years.

Mother gave us many things over the years, but she saved the best for last. She gave us the extraordinary gift of extra time to talk about what mattered. All of us — Helen, Suzy, Rice, Anne, and yes, Stan — got to experience her deep faith and her calm optimism about what might lie before her when she died. She had no fear, knowing her life had been filled with meaning, hope and good relationships.

There’s a Gaelic blessing that those in hospice might be familiar with: Bos sonna. “May you have a good death.” Mother’s was just that, and though we are grieving, we are so grateful for that blessing.

Services will be at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, July 22, 2018 , at First Baptist Church. Memorial Gunter Peel Funeral Home & Crematory, College Street location is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Special Needs, Special Spirit, P.O. Box 5387, Columbus, MS 39704.