Peggy was born in Kenton, Ohio to Eva Katherine and Clinton Earl (Russ) Cole, and passed at the age of 79 in Fresno, CA with her family by her side. She is survived by her sisters Sherry Cole and Sharon Van Buskirk and brothers Donald and Ronald Cole, her daughters Lori Ann Walters, Lisa Rodriguez, Linda Martin, and Heather Moss, son-in-law Sal Rodriguez, and her ten grandchildren.
Peggy grew up in Ohio and married Kenneth Walters in 1962. While raising their four daughters, Peggy worked as both a custom-order seamstress and upholsterer and ran a childcare business from their home in Michigan. In 1977, Peggy and Ken decided to become modern day pioneers and move the family across the country with a U-Haul and station wagon to begin a new life in sunny California. They made their home in Los Osos, and Peggy resumed her childcare business while Ken worked at California Polytechnic State University, allowing Peggy to raise their family and the children of so many others, for more than thirty additional years. Peggy was an amazing domestic diva and multi-tasker. You could often find her prepping a homemade craft for her daycare kids, sewing costumes for school theater groups, or preserving her garden harvest. A fond memory is Peggy leading children’s church and running out to the car between Sunday School and church to punch down rising bread dough for her family’s weekly pot-roast dinner that always included her famous rolls. Peggy’s strong faith helped her weather life’s many storms with grace and positivity. She will be dearly missed.
A celebration of life and a day of thanks for friends who supported Peggy’s family through this trying time will take place at her daughter Linda’s house, 1550 8th St. in Los Osos, CA, on Saturday, December 31, 2022, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Please stop by to visit with the family, enjoy some of Peggy’s favorite New Year’s Eve snacks, and share memories of this beautiful community matriarch whose love and nurturing touched so many young lives. In remembrance of Peggy, plant a garden, teach a child to knit or crochet, bake a pie from scratch, pick up fish and chips to munch on while watching the surfers in Morro Bay, or extend a helping hand to others in need.
