Peggy was born on April 6, 1926, in the small town of Staples, MN. She was the third daughter of of Bill and Bessie St. Pierre. She formed a quick bond with her older sisters Jean Betty and Mary. A few years later, the St. Pierre family was complete, when the last daughter Roseanne was born; somebody who Peggy got to act as a mentor toward, and a good friend in addition, which brought Peggy much pleasure. This kind Irish lass was raised for the early part of her life in a town where everybody was considered famous. When she was eight years old, she had to mature considerably, given her age. She lost her father, who was quite young, leaving her mother with four girls to raise on her own. Peggy still looked up to Jean Betty and Mary, while getting through this tragedy. Two years later, Bessie had been diagnosed with cancer, and was hoping many prayers would heal her. She attended a prayer service, and never came home. Peggy and her three sisters now had to be separated. Following the death of her mother, Peggy was sent to Chicago to live with her aunt and uncle; her aunt being from the younger part of her mother's immediate family. She formed an instant bond with the oldest daughter of her aunt and uncle, however, this living arrangement did not last long for Peggy. Peggy and her cousin, Philomen, on her dad's side of the family were tight. Philomen tried to get her mother to adopt Peggy, which was not something that could be done, given the circumstances of the family. Peggy was then taken in by her Aunt Flora, then eventually moved to Minneapolis. This gave her the chance to maintain a bond with Roseanne, who was living with their aunt and uncle Caddie and Cliff, and act as a mentor, as well as a friend. Peggy then began high school. She was an excellent student, which led her to college at St. Mary's in Winona, MN. Peggy decided to become a nurse. This was a perfect fit, given Peggy's compassion for all, and the fact that she always put herself last. Peggy worked hard in college, and got her nurses license. After starting her work as a nurse, Peggy met Charles Clabots, her official true love. After dating for a while, Charles proposed, to which Peggy said "Yes." They then were married, and began a new chapter in life. Charles was a highly honored soldier, who served in the war, so Peggy worked as a nurse for soldiers in his regiment. Patients and wounded soldiers found it easier to heal, simply knowing Peggy was with them. After Charles got his honorable discharge from the service, they were soon blessed with two children, Charles and William, then over a decade later, they were blessed with a third son, Thomas. Peggy raised her children into three fine men, all very kind, and hard workers. When they grew up, Peggy's first two children blessed her with three grandchildren, the pride and joy of her life. After retiring, Peggy was committed to her family, in all regards. She gave back to society in many ways. Peggy did, however, have to live through many tragedies. Peggy's youngest sister, Roseanne, was the first to pass away. Peggy was with Roseanne, for a long time, having to watch her die. Even in the most tragic situation, Peggy wanted to take care of anybody she could. Following Roseanne's passing, six months later, Peggy's sister Jean Betty, who had been battling cancer for years, then passed away. This brought Peggy and her sister Mary into a very strong bond, making them the best of friends. Within four years, however, Mary was diagnosed with the recurrence of cancer, forcing Peggy to have to watch her die. This was one of the hardest moments Peggy had to live through. For months, Peggy watched Mary slowly get worse. Amidst Mary's losing battle with cancer, Peggy also lost her two surviving aunts Jane and Caddie, and her uncle Cliff. After Mary passed away, Peggy was the sole survivor of her family. The support of her husband, children, and grandchildren brought Peggy through the tragedy, and even with all of the sadness Peggy carried, she still greeted all with a smile, and wanted to take care of anybody who needed a caregiver. Nothing stopped Peggy's compassion. Peggy spent many years following Mary's death bonding with her husband, children, and grandchildren. They enjoyed many fun times. Some years later, Peggy had to go through another terrifying experience. Her husband had a near death experience, and needed to undergo an intense surgical procedure, in order to live. The effects went on for months, and he came through, but never totally gained his strength back. Peggy had to put her nursing skills back to work, and be the full time caregiver. Nonetheless, Peggy and Charles were able to enjoy some more fun times, as permitted. Peggy also had some declining health, with late arthritis flaring up, and emphysema effects. She still never complained about it, and put everybody else before her. The day came when her husband's need for full time care got to be too much for Peggy, and she had to make the hard decision to put him in assisted living. Though this was the most difficult decision she had to make in years, she knew it was the fair thing for him, and for her. During his stay in assisted living, Peggy did not miss a day, in terms of visiting Charles. Her youngest son, Tom, was now living with her, and helping her with chores, which her arthritis inconvenienced. Peggy had to watch her husband slowly get worse, and then face another tragic moment. After 56 years of marriage, she was now a widow. A very devastated Peggy still managed to find the strength to move forward, and bring pleasure to others, still putting herself last, in all respects. Within less than a year following her husband's death, Peggy had to face yet the most tragic moment of her life, times ten. Her youngest son Tom, still living with her, never came home from work one night. Realizing he still was not home, she found out that he passed away at his desk at work. Though she made it through this tragedy for nearly two years, it appeared as though it caused her to lose the strength she once had. As she got more and more weak and fragile, Peggy fell down one day, and broke several bones. As a result, she had to be put in a setting where she got round-the-clock care, and needed to be restored in many ways, before this could be fixed. Even in this poor state of health, Peggy's compassion did not decline. She still cared for everybody, and prayed for those in need. While in this living environment, one day, Peggy caught a cold, and was in too poor of health to fight it. Within a few days, Peggy passed away. I can safely say that this world will never be the same now, since we have lost such a great woman. There were many things that I loved about Peggy, and she touched my life in many ways. My greatest memory of Peggy is one day when I was a teenager, Peggy happened to call, and ask me if my grandma was improving with her health. Scared for my grandma, Peggy told me not to worry, that this was going to pass over. Peggy also sensed that I was having other issues. She asked me if I was alright, and I had to be honest, and told her how hard my life was at school. We spent three hours on the phone talking about all my woes. Peggy was one of the few people who acknowledged that most of what was going on was not something I could solve. Peggy's true compassion relieved the sadness at least for that day. Even when Peggy was going through some of her saddest moments, she would always make sure everything was okay in my life. Peggy was an asset to this world, and I will miss her for the rest of my time here, and I am thankful for the good times Peggy made possible. I wish I could tell her one more time that I love her, and thank her for touching my life in countless ways.
