Margaret E. 'Peggy' Furbush ... active in church; at 101

LEBANON, Maine - Margaret E. "Peggy" Furbush, SFO, 101, of Lebanon, died peacefully at home on Oct 11, 2023, surrounded by her family. She was a communicant and active member of St Mary's in Rochester, N.H., and professed in the Fanciscan Secular Order in 1996 at the Fransiscan Monastery in Kennebunk, Maine.

Peggy lived a full life. She grew up in Wellesley, Mass., the daughter of Ellen and Arthur Noyes. Before marriage she worked as a secretary in the office of the Secretary of the Navy in Washington during the start of World War II. She enjoyed telling people she had the opportunity to meet and shake hands with Eleanor Roosevelt at a tea party at the White House. Peg was chosen to be a model for War Bonds posters, however she had to decline as she moved back to Massachusetts to get married in 1942.

Peggy and Richard D. Furbush were married in July of 1942 and traveled west to Colorado and Arizona for his training as a pilot for the 14th Army Air Corps/Flying Tigers. Richard left for India in February and they were separated from each other while he was flying missions over the Himalayas between India and China during the war. Following the war they traveled as an active military family all over the globe. Peggy loved to share stories of their military travels, and after retirement, their travels as tourists. Even in her last few years, she would tell people how she visited "every U.S. state including Alaska and Hawaii" and many foreign countries including Japan, Morocco, Greece, Turkey, England, Scotland and multiple other European countries.

After retiring to Maine she indulged her artistic side. She took up painting and participated with several art groups with whom she shared many valued friendships. Family, friends and her church were recipients of many beautiful works of art. She also joined the choir at church and enjoyed singing with them until her late 90s. Peggy had a deep abiding faith and her participation in church activities was always very important to her. In her later years she joined several pilgrimages to Ireland, Fatima and Lithuania which all gave her great joy.

Predeceased by her husband of 65 years, Peggy is survived by their 7 children: Richard D. Furbush Jr, Ellen and her husband Terry Lee, Kathleen and her husband Harvey King all of Lebanon; Robert Furbush and his wife Connie of New Hartford, N.Y.; Mary and her husband Charlie Nutter of North Berwick; Patricia and her husband Kip Knapp of Sullivan; and John Furbush whose wife Pat sadly predeceased Peggy, of Wilmington, Del. She is also survived and sadly missed by 15 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.