Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Dear Jim;
I believe it was in 1953 that your mother married into our family, but it was the Fall of 1959 when I really enjoyed getting to know her better. She and Park were stationed in St. Avold, France and I flew over to join Peggy on our trip to Italy. She and Park met me in Brussels, and we drove down through a part of Holland where we briefly visited relatives of some Dutch immigrants who lived near us in Nova Scotia, and a memorable stop in Luxembourg at the gravesite of General George Patton.
Our bus trip took Peggy and me through Southern Germany, stopping for our first dinner break at Munich where the local populous was celebrating their annual Oktoberfest [beer festival-UGH!]. We went on to view the 1956 site of the Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy, then on to Venice, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, the Isle of Capris, Sorrento, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, up to the Rhine Falls and Lucerne, Switzerland, and back to France. It was a sheer delight to be with her on that trip.
Before that event though, in 1955, my mother, my sister, my Aunt Gladys, and I took the train to Ottawa and visited Peggy there while Park was deployed at Cold Water, Alberta. It was such a treat touring Canada’s Capitol, the Parliament buildings, and the various places of interest. Of course, we enjoyed Peggy’s good cooking, especially the unnamed apple desert that we have since called “Peggy’s Pudding”.
With the tragic car accident and death of her four-year-old Linda, ensuing years of hospital visits, steel rods in both legs, and learning to walk again, she displayed an amazing strength and courage that had all of us in awe.
Peggy was a very intelligent lady with two earned college degrees and an excellent gift of conversation. To my regret, I didn’t telephone her often enough, but when I did it was always at least an hour-long conversation.
I had just bought her birthday card when you called about her passing. She was a very special lady and it was a privilege for me to know her. I will miss her.
-Yvonne Curtas
