Rev. Dr. Peggy Ann Whiddon returned to her eternal home on May 12, 2024, just shy of her ninetieth birthday. She was born in Waycross, GA to Oscar Ray and Mary Alma (nee Rutherford) Whiddon, the youngest of four siblings. She was named after the Rodgers and Hart Broadway musical, “Peggy-Ann.” The family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 1937 where her parents founded the Causeway Lumber Company. Following high school graduation in 1951 as a proud “Flying L” at Fort Lauderdale High School, Peggy Ann entered Stetson University where she met her husband-to-be, a semi-pro baseball player. She married Andre Schreiber in 1954 and gave birth to three daughters. Following a divorce in 1965, she returned to school at Florida Atlantic University where she earned a degree in Elementary Education, staying on the Dean’s List every semester. Following graduation, she initially taught school and later pursued other endeavors, supporting her family as a legal secretary, in various roles in the banking industry and later worked as an executive assistant to the vice president of the Aveda Corporation. Ordained as an inter-faith Alliance of Divine Love (ADL) minister, after years of practice and study she received a Doctor of Divinity in Metaphysics and Spirituality (DDMS).
Peggy Ann embodied many paradoxes. She was soft-spoken and dressed in bold colors with a style all her own. She was traditionally feminine, turning on her Southern charm, while also embracing nonconformist beliefs and attitudes. She pursued expansive spiritual paths that included becoming a certified Reiki Master while also curating many material things as an enthusiastic shopper. She occupied her own time zone: planning for the future albeit chronically late in the present. She was a life-long cat-lover who decorated her home to reflect that passion. Peggy Ann kept her daughters, family members and friends upmost in her mind and heart. She depended on Shelley for her care, on Gabby for her constant virtual companionship and on Dani for her generosity of spirit. She sought to impart love, light and wisdom. Funny and fun-loving, she was game for any reason to celebrate. She was a believer who kept her mind open to learn.
Peggy Ann was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Wilson and Gene Whiddon. She is survived by her daughters, Michelle (Shelley) Schreiber, Gabrielle (Gabby) Schreiber, and Danielle (Randy) Hambrick and her grandchildren, Riley McGinley, Savanna McGinley and Alexis Berens who know her as Granny Gorgeous (GG). She is also survived by her sister, Betty Jo Ashe Howell, and her nieces and nephews, Sharon Springman, Joe Ashe, Gene Whiddon Jr, Scott (Margaret) Whiddon, and Steve Whiddon. Her family would not be complete without her Alt-daughter, Julie Telfer, longtime best friend Kevin Stevens and her cat Princess. The family wishes to thank the staff and her neighbors at Sapphire Lutheran Homes for their loving support over that past decade and Bitterroot Health Hospice for their assistance during her transition.
A memorial service will be held at the Daly-Leach Memorial Chapel in Hamilton, MT on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at 11:00 am with a reception to follow in the Community Room. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Doris Day Animal Foundation, an organization she supported based on her love of animals, or the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, to support research in finding better diagnostic tools. Condolences may be left for the family at www.dalyleachchapel.com.