WESTFIELD – Margaret “Peggy” Lawrence Duggan, 68, of Westfield, Massachusetts and Naples, Florida, passed away on June 6, 2022. Born on March 30, 1954, in Holyoke, she was the youngest of three children to Robert and Charlotte (Bartosiewicz) Lawrence.
She attended Holyoke High School and earned early admission to Mount Holyoke College following her junior year of high school. She graduated from Mount Holyoke in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history. While in high school and college, Peggy loved to ski and was one of the first female ski lift operators on the East Coast.
In 1978, she married the love of her life, James Edward Duggan. They spent 44 years of marriage supporting each other and making memories together.
She spent the majority of her career working in insurance, holding many senior leadership positions at The Hartford. She retired in 2016 as a National Account Implementation Manger. Her job afforded her the opportunity to visit many places in the United States, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
Following her retirement, she liked to spend time taking in the sunshine on her porch or in her pool in Westfield and going to the beach at her home in Naples. As she was raising her family, she enjoyed vacations on Cape Cod, spending time with her brother’s family and extended family on the beach in Chatham. Peggy and Jimmy took many memorable vacations with their friends Linda and Michael Kirkpatrick to Mexico and the Caribbean. Many hours were spent on the phone with her friend Gail Moran and afternoons shopping with her cousin Sheila Lawrence. She took particular pride in sharing the “magic of Christmas” with her children and had an impressive collection of Christmas decorations. She was an avid reader and loved to do puzzles, garden, and knit. She was a reluctant sports fan, as a result of her husband’s love of Boston teams.
Her personal and professional accomplishments were numerous and impressive, but she was always most proud of her two children, Heather and Kyle.
She leaves behind her husband and best friend, James Duggan; her daughter Heather Duggan, of South Hadley; her son Kyle Duggan and his fiancée Allison Weiner of Cranston, Rhode Island; her Labrador retriever, Bob; her brother David Lawrence and his wife Leslie of Holyoke; her brother-in-law William Collins of Tierra Verde, Florida; her sister-in-law Deborah Charpentier and her husband Paul of South Dennis; her brother-in-law Gary Duggan and his wife Linda of South Hadley; and her nieces and nephews Scott Lawrence, Emily Lawrence, Matthew Charpentier, Brianna Boudreau, and Kelsey Duggan. She also leaves behind many dear cousins and friends, including extended family in Youngstown, Ohio, where her father grew up.
She was predeceased by her parents Robert and Charlotte Lawrence; her sister Sandra Lawrence of Tierra Verde, Florida; and her beloved labs Cleo and Hank and Dalmatian Gemini.
Calling hours will be held on Sunday, June 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, June 13th at 10:00 a.m.at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church, 127 Holyoke Rd., Westfield, MA. The burial will take place at the convenience of the family.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to Stanley Park of Westfield. Donations can be sent to Stanley Park, 400 Western Avenue, Westfield, MA 01085 or made through the website at www.stanleypark.org under SUPPORT. Alternatively, donations can be made in her memory to the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round at 221 Appleton St., Holyoke, MA 01040 or by emailing [email protected].
“We said we’d walk together, baby, come what may,
That come the twilight should we lose our way,
If as we’re walking a hand should slip free,
I’ll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me.” – Bruce Springsteen
