Peggy Herweg

The heroine I’d like to report is my friend, Peggy Herweg. She moved across the street from me almost twenty years ago, and I look at the day she moved in as one of the greatest blessings of my life.
Peggy is one of those rare friends whose combination of sincerity, soulfulness and humor make life so much richer for everyone lucky enough to call her a friend.
During the darkest times of my life, Peggy and I would walk our dogs together and she would listen to my fears and doubts and always encourage me to keep believing in myself, that the miracles would happen. During the times my belief in myself would falter, she’d believe in me for me. When I’d show up on her doorstep in a puddle of tears, she’d swing the door open (and start pouring the wine!) and listen to me and console me until I felt better.
But the thing I think Peggy deserves a page in herstory for the most is the way she cared for her brother. Mike was a quadriplegic for the last 35 years of his life, and Peggy loved him and cared for him in the most selfless ways.
When he was first injured, she was a newlywed and worked as a hairdresser. Mike hated the hospital food, so Peggy would cook him his favorite meals and take the bus downtown to feed him. Throughout his life she was always helping him…running errands, cooking for him, whatever was needed. She even ran several fundraisers to raise money for his medical expenses, or to help him purchase a handicapped van. Whatever Mike needed, Peggy was there to help him.
Mike passed away this year, and Peggy is heartbroken. But I hope she finds solace in the fact that she was such a wonderful and loving sister to him.
I don’t know if she’ll ever know important she is to so many people…how many lives she touches. But I hope giving her this page in herstory will help her to realize what a beautiful person she truly is…