Margaret (Peg) Sargent

Margaret Ann (Peg) Sargent, 83, of Traverse City, Michigan passed away peacefully Friday December 13, 2024 in her home surrounded by family. Peg was a teacher, performer, athlete, gardener and devoted mother. She began performing on piano, organ, viola and voice while attending Lakeview High School in Battle Creek Michigan, and continued organ studies at Michigan State University while completing her degree in education. As an organist, she served the Homer and Aldersgate United Methodist Churches in Midland, and the St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Beulah, Michigan for decades.

Peg sang in the Acapella choir in High School, attended Interlochen’s All State program, sang in the Midland Chorale when they premiered new music at Carnegie Hall in New York, and traveled with the First Congregational Church of Traverse City Chorale throughout Europe on seven occasions.

As a teacher, Peg taught hundreds of students to play piano, organizing group recitals that were also parties for the participants. She provided accompaniments to the students in the Bullock Creek Schools during Solo Ensemble competitions for over a decade. She conducted, directed, and accompanied youth choirs at the First United Methodist Church in Midland. Peg encouraged her family to start running in the late 1970’s, helping everyone improve through family outings to compete at road races around Michigan. She ran her first marathon at age 43, and even traveled to California and Sweden when approaching her 70’s to run marathons with her daughter Sarah.

Peg and husband John worked together for three years designing and building their retirement home on Aunt Edna Sargent’s farm in the Arbutus Lake and Mayfield area where family had deep roots. They joined the Presbyterian Church and moved there in 1999. The shared construction activities were a wonderful time and it was important to return home for the final days.

Peg was intensely proud of her husband John, whom she met at MSU and married September 3rd 1961, daughters Anne (Bill) Sleeman, Katherine (Martin Jeschke) , Sarah (Shel) Plaxton, Emilie (Mike Bielski), and her eight grandchildren. Always enthusiastic about their activities and achievements and challenging them to go play, experience more, and continually question and grow. She is also survived by siblings Phyllis (John) Brewster, John (Marilyn) Edwards, and Karen Smith. She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard L & Vera L (Johnson) Edwards.

There will be a memorial service at the Presbyterian Church of Traverse City on December 30 at 2 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions to The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park would be appropriate acknowledgement of her generous life. Interment will be at a later date in Barnum Cemetery Mayfield, MI.

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