Peggy R. Bordewieck, wife of the late Walter W. Bordewieck, passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, just days before her 94th birthday.
Upon graduation from Keuka College in 1947, Peggy worked as a psychiatric social worker in Utica, N.Y. near her parents, Antoinette and Stanley Wyszynski. Peggy married her husband Walter in 1949 and moved to Syracuse, N.Y. and later to Westbury, Long Island, N.Y. near her beloved sister, the late Virginia (Wyszynski) Caso.
They settled in Wellesley, Mass., where they raised their six children: Paula Manseau of Barkhamsted, Conn., Barbara Wolcott of Rhinebeck, N.Y., Susan DeLuca of Westwood, Mass., Kenneth Bordewieck of Bernardston, Mass., Patricia Simmonds of Waldoboro (and family Parker, Jacquelyn, and Brian), and Laura Rippy of Sudbury, Mass.
When the children were older, Peggy resumed work as a social worker for the town of Natick, Mass., and later, became a circulation manager at the Wellesley Library. As a loving wife, mother of six, grandmother of 18 and great-grandmother of 18 more, Peggy put family first, stressing the value of working hard, always doing your best, and the value of education. Peggy loved little babies, teaching the youngsters life’s important lessons and watching them grow.
She was an active involved mother. She also loved reading, gardening and cooking wonderful things with her family. Peggy was always busy! She was also part of a large, very close extended family with many nieces and nephews scattered across the country.
After many camping trips with the family, Peggy and Walter bought property on Cape Cod, where they built the Cape House. It was a family learning project. Each member contributing to the final project: plumbing, hammering, measuring, getting tools, or whatever was needed. Interspersed with the work was the fun at the beach, playing games, picking berries or going for a bike ride to the candy store.
Peggy and Walter later retired to the home in Brewster in 1989. Following her husband’s death in 2004, Peggy continued to live happily and independently at the Cape House for many years helping manage the First Congregational Church Thrift Shop in Harwich. After brain cancer surgery in 2012, Peggy moved to an assisted living facility, New Horizons/Hearthstone in Marlborough, Mass. where she made many new friends and received exceptional, compassionate care from their wonderful staff.
An almost eight-year cancer survivor, Peggy has donated her brain for cancer research to help develop new treatments.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, Nov. 29 at Memorial Congregational Church in Sudbury, Mass. at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Massachusetts General Hospital cancer research fund.
