Easthampton, MA – In memory of Peggy Anderson
Margaret Ann “Peggy” Bennett Anderson, 89, died September 10, 2026, at her home at the Lathrop Community in Easthampton, Massachusetts, surrounded by family and a longtime friend.
Peggy was a loyal friend, teacher, social worker, naturalist, artist, traveler, Quaker, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Friends sometimes described her as an “adventurous introvert” – someone who loved exploring the world but was also happy walking through the woods, watching birds, drawing, reading, or simply observing.
Born July 2, 1937, in Valparaiso, Indiana, Peggy grew up on farms and remained a farm girl at heart throughout her life. The first in her family to attend college, she received a scholarship to Radcliffe College, where she studied German, and later earned a master’s degree in social work from Boston University.
Peggy married Steve Anderson in 1958, and they had three children, Judy, Teja, and Dan. In Westminster West, Vermont, she helped establish a community school and became an inventive, experiential teacher. She loved the old farmhouse, her community, and woodland walks. She moved to South Hadley Massachusetts in the late 1970s where she established a social work practice supporting children and families in the Pioneer Valley. As someone who saw nature as healing, she was ahead of her time by incorporating nature and therapy dogs into her practice. Through shared friends, she met Andrea Wright, the second great love of her life. Together, Peggy and Andrea built a life filled with travel, animals, friendship, music, and adventure over the 48 years they were together. They married in 2004.
Peggy cherished owls and migrating birds, dogs, wildlife, ponds, flowers and cows-especially Jerseys and Holsteins. She loved to go to Fletcher Farm in Southampton and Cooks Dairy in Hadley. She was an artist and storyteller, a lover of games and laughter, and a grandmother who encouraged curiosity, creativity, and empathy. A Quaker who cared deeply about peace and social justice, Peggy and Andrea were also members of the Raging Grannies, using music and humor to advocate for social justice, peace, and a kinder world. She was a nonviolence trainer for local peace protests as well.
At Lathrop, Peggy treasured her neighbors, the trails and the meadow outside her home. She helped establish a Quaker worship group and embraced the neighborhood tradition of gathering to howl at the full moon.
Peggy is survived by her three children and their spouses; five grandchildren; and her great-granddaughter.
A fuller remembrance, including memorial gift and condolence information, can be found on the website of Mitchell Funeral Home at www.mitchellcofuneralhome.com.
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