Margaret G. “Peggy” Mallory, passed away on June 13, 2016 at the age of 91 in Redding, California. She was born May 23, 1925, in Marysville, Montana and spent her early years in Oakland and Concord, California.
The first in her family to graduate from college, Peggy earned her degree from UC Berkeley. While there, she met the love of her life, James Mallory, whom she married in 1947. Jim, Peggy and their family moved to Redding in 1959, where she began a career in early childhood education. She established the Head Start and state preschool programs in Shasta County and went on to become the first county schools administrator for early childhood education. Peggy served the young children and families of Shasta County in that position until her retirement in 1991.
She played violin in the Shasta Symphony Orchestra for over 50 years and volunteered for many local organizations including the Association for the Education of Young Children and the American Association of University Women. Peggy and her family hosted numerous foreign exchange students, and she was a founding member of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Redding. She was awarded “Citizen of the Year” for her community involvement in the 1970s. Peggy continued her volunteer work for a host of causes until quite recently.
Peggy lived her life fully, taking great joy in her family. She loved to garden, play the violin and travel. Peggy enjoyed spending time outdoors, especially visiting the forest in Round Mountain and the beach at Cayucos.
Peggy’s husband, James Mallory passed away in 2002. She is survived by her six children: Lois Mallory of Auburn, CA, Timothy Mallory of Montesano, WA, Martha Webb of Estacada, OR, Mary Mallory Rogers of Carmichael, CA, Carol Forster of Hat Creek, CA, and Paul Mallory of Seabrook, TX. She is also survived by twelve grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Peggy loved her pets, so this obituary would not be complete without mentioning that she is also survived by her dog, Kelsey, and her cockatiel, Wasabi. Peggy will be missed more than words can express.
A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, June 26th, at 4:00 p.m., at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ, 2850 Foothill Blvd, in Redding. All are welcome to attend.
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Turtle Bay Plant a Tree Program, the Peggy (Margaret) Mallory Scholarship for Early Childhood Education at Shasta College, or to the Educational Foundation of AAUW.
