Peggy Barrett
Barrett, Peggy age 69, returned Home on June 28, 2009 after her three year battle with ovarian cancer. She was surrounded and embraced by her family as she passed. Peggy was born on Christmas Day, 1939, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her parents, John F. and Carolyn A. Barrett, named her Marguerite Mary Barrett. As a young girl and teenager, she traveled and lived in Europe with her parents while her father, who worked for the State Department, worked on the Marshall Plan efforts to restore postwar Europe. There she was exposed to what would become her life's loves, including the Catholic Church, art, literature, poetry, history, music, nature, and the world's rich experiences and people. Peggy received her undergraduate degree from Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa, and later pursued a master's degree in art from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. In Washington in 1963 she married Richard Treon. Richard and Peggy moved to Phoenix in 1969, where they raised their three children, ReBecca, Daniel and Michael. Peggy then dedicated herself to pastoral care, including the noble work of hospital chaplaincy at St. Joseph's and Good Samaritan Hospitals. She shared her Catholic faith with friends, family, and strangers alike. She attended daily mass, most often at St. Francis Xavier, and served as a lector and Eucharistic Minister there for many years. She was also a lay member of the Carmelite Order, a Benedictine lay oblate, and a Cursillista. Peggy's life was infused with love and respect for all people, and everyone she touched knew what a tender heart she had. She will be profoundly missed. Peggy was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Carol and Wes Suhr, as well as her children, ReBecca Treon Even (John B. Even), Daniel Barrett Treon (Karen Baerst Treon), and Michael Barrett Treon (Maryanne Diaz Treon). She is also survived by her six dearly loved grandchildren, Katie, Sean, and Emily Even and Elise, Audrey and Sophie Treon. They will keep telling her "Grammy, I love you as high as the sky and the sky never ends." Peggy's life was blessed with many nieces and nephews, extended family members she held so close, and dear, dear friends with whom she shared all of life's experiences. Peggy's incredible life will be celebrated at a Funeral Mass at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Thursday, July 2nd at 10:00 a.m. Peggy's life will also be remembered at a Rosary on Wednesday, July 1st at St. Francis. Visitation will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the Rosary and prayers will begin at 6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Peggy's family has asked that donations be made to The St. Vincent de Paul Society, an organization Peggy strongly sup ported in its efforts to help those most in need, and Hospice of the Valley, an organization that provided such extraordinary and grace-filled care at the end of Peggy's life.
Published in The Arizona Republic from 7/1 to 7/2/2009
