Margaret Maguire

Maggie was the beloved wife of the late John Pete Maguire; loving mother of David Griffith (Lisa), Jeff Griffith (Nicole), and Dr. Susan Griffith Grossman (Larry); proud and doting grandmother of Kendall Griffith, Kyle Griffith, Matthew Griffith, Katie Griffith, Ryan Griffith, Kelsey Griffith, Meghan Callahan, Elizabeth Callahan Schroeder, and Moira Callahan Sullivan; and dear sister of Stephen Angell and the late Donald K. Angell, Jr. She is also survived by her niece Kelley Maguire, nephews Joe, Dan, and Jack Griffith, and great nephews Liam and Aidan Sagherian.

Peggi grew up in Wynnewood, Gladwyne, and Pass-a-Grille, Florida. The middle child and only daughter of a Main Line family, her father was a long-time vice-president of the University of Pennsylvania and her mother was one of the first female stockbrokers in the Philadelphia area. Her brother was a television journalist and co-anchor of WCAU-TV’s evening news. He announced the birth of her first child, David, during his newscast.

Ms. Angell graduated from Lower Merion High School and, in later years, never failed to mention to younger acquaintances—and especially her grandchildren—that she graduated from the same school as Kobe Bryant, albeit several years earlier.

After graduating from what is now Pierce Junior College, Peggi moved to New York City where she worked for the University of Pennsylvania’s Alumni Relations office.

Peggi returned to the Philadelphia area after marrying Alexander Griffith in 1966. They eventually settled in West Chester to raise her family and she remained there after they divorced in 1983.

For years, she was a PTA leader organizing school fairs, fundraising events, field days, concerts, and pageants. Peggi got her real estate license and was a broker for Ferrier & Hallowell, Roach Brothers, and selling agent for Souder Builders.

Later she became an executive assistant to Leon Altemus, CEO of the Altemus Construction Company, and to the vice-president in charge of his signature property, the Valley Forge Sheraton. She concluded her career as the office manager and FDA compliance officer with the Circulator Boot Corporation in Malvern.

Peggi was an original and life-long member of the Elvis Presley fan club. She was an avid sports fan of all of Philadelphia’s sports teams and instilled that same fanatical passion in her boys.

She was especially partial to the Eagles--who she regularly watched with her father from the president’s box at Franklin Field; the Phillies—where she attended the infamous “Black Friday” game with her two sons and mother, and was in attendance with her son Jeff for Game 6 of the 1980 World Series Championship; and, the Flyers-- where she managed to access the airport tarmac to welcome back the victorious players as they deplaned upon their return from Buffalo after winning the Stanley Cup.

But Peggi shared her most passionate and vocal cheering for local teams featuring her kids in East Side Little League, the Little All-American Football Association (LAFA), and at West Chester East. Years later, players and spectators alike at Cooper Field and March Field can still recall her shouting “Good Eye!” with gusto whenever a pitch was called a ball. Her grandchildren introduced her to new sports like lacrosse and soccer and she gained renewed renown for hollering encouragement, and occasionally embarrassing, the next generation of young athletes from the sidelines.

In 1986, Peggi met the man of her dreams and the love of her life, John Maguire. They were married on September 11, 1993 in one of the more memorable wedding ceremonies in recent Delaware Valley history. Afterward, John affectionately called her “Maggie” to go with her now married last name Maguire. Their love affair lasted the rest of their lives.

Maggie and John became a well-known, popular and inseparable couple at social events, parties, and establishments throughout suburban Philadelphia. Holiday events and special occasions prompted creative planning, elaborate costumes, gifts, and special surprises on their part that made them sought-after guests and notable hosts. If there was music and space, Maggie and John often could not help themselves from dancing -- and impressed many with a lively and nimble jitterbug.

She was famous for adding fun and flair to any activity. With Peggi, there was no mere party but a Mardi Gras-themed festivity. Wedding invitations were sent via individually personalized cassette tapes and an ambulance was substituted for a limo at the event itself. Sports events involved not just cheering but signs and noisemakers. She didn’t just go to any theater performance, but Mask & Wig’s musical comedy all-male revue. Villanova’s first National Championship was celebrated with a spray-painted bedsheet strung across the second story of her house declaring “Nova is #1.” She enlisted uniformed security guards to “arrest” John for lying about his age for a surprise birthday party and then had the entire gathering “taken into custody” on a party bus for a bar hopping tour. Food might be burnt, cold or eaten not at all as a convivial cocktail hour extended well past dinner time.

For years, New Year’s Day was spent with her brothers and friends at a suite of rooms at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel overlooking the Mummer’s Day Parade route. She would perennially befriend even the most hardened Philadelphia police officer who would eventually look the other way as she continually crisscrossed Broad Street between the string bands while performing the Mummers’ strut to the sound of their music.

Peggi had a special place in her heart and an open door at her home for her sons’ friends, all of whom she cared for as if her own. She was constantly inquiring about their well-being and loved being regaled with all the stories of their latest exploits, romantic interests, and achievements. Indeed, she always looked forward to their annual informal reunion on “Black Friday” as an opportunity to both catch up and reconnect with the cadre of young men she held in such high regard.

In later years, she was a regular presence as a great aunt who earned the nickname, “Aunt Fab,” short for Fabulous. She was an adoring grandmother who attended as many youth sports games as she could, often multiple games and teams in the same day, and whose visits usually came with props, costumes, and toys which then entailed stories, games, and seemingly endless play all of which would have exhausted a woman half her age.

She also enjoyed telling wildly inappropriate stories about her sons’ high school and college years to her grandchildren. Indeed, Peggi reveled in sharing memories with family and friends and had almost as much fun recounting the moments afterward as the actual experiences themselves at the time. Favorite recollections included her catching a Mike Schmidt foul ball, the Final Four trip to New Orleans, and Christmases in Miami.

“We sure had fun,” she’d marvel with a twinkle in her eye.

Relatives and Friends are invited to greet the family on Thursday, October 29, 2020 12:00-1:00 PM at The Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, West Chester, PA 19382, followed by her Funeral Service at 1:00 PM. Interment Private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Peggi’s memory to the University of Pennsylvania’s Mask and Wig Club, 310 S. Quince St., Philadelphia, PA https://members.maskandwig.com/donate-a/ are encouraged and greatly appreciated.