Peggy L. Williams, 61
Peggy Louise Williams passed peacefully on October 15, 2018, following a recent illness. She had fought a brave battle against cancer with much loving and greatly appreciated support from family, friends, colleagues and former students, along with care providers at the BMC Cancer Center, Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association, the 5th floor at Berkshire Medical Center, CVS Pharmacy on West Street, and HospiceCare in the Berkshires.
Peggy lived by a simple set of rules: Do for others; do your best to do the right thing, and do sweat it if you don't; and do everything you are capable of doing, in every possible way, before you call it a day.
Peggy was a dedicated student at Wahconah Regional High School, Boston College and SUNY at Albany Rockefeller College of Public Affairs, all three from which she graduated with Distinction and High Honors. She was an even more dedicated teacher, mentor, and friend to countless students who often said of her that she had "made the difference" for each and every one of them.
Peggy was born on April 10, 1957, at St. Luke's Hospital in Pittsfield. She was raised in the town of Cummington by her mother, Eleanore "Rainey" Williams, after a hunting accident took her father, Stephen L. Williams, before she was born.
She is survived by her sister, Susan L. Unis; her brother, Laurence S. Williams; her spouse of 33 years, R. Laurence Stalvey; her canine companions Arlo and Mazie; her close friend Joseph Szewczyk; and a large and much-loved extended family and friends whom she considered to be family. She also leaves many with whom she fostered cherished relationships through her years as an educator and social worker at Berkshire Community College, Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, the Department of Developmental Services, and Williams College.
Her retirement having "taken a turn down a road that wasn't on the map" as she put it, Peggy will return to teaching a bit sooner than expected as a donor to the Anatomical Gift Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Her lesson plan, on which she has worked her entire life, is set to go and ready to share.
Peggy's presence will also remain in her beautiful perennial gardens and house plants, tended by her with much affection and care. She had a favorite shade of blue, a thumb of green, and a heart of pure gold. These colors, and many others, will fill the landscape and rooms around and in her home with joyful reminders of her for many years to come.
If you wish to honor Peggy with a charitable donation, please make a gift to the organization or cause of your choice. If none comes to mind, please consider supporting PopCares Inc. in Williamstown, Mass.
Funeral notice: No services are planned at this time. A ceremony celebrating Peggy's life and gift will take place at the medical school following the conclusion of her work there with students.