San Diego
posted
Aug 23, 2012
Peggy C. Underwood of Killington, Vt. and San Diego died
peacefully at the San Diego Hospice on Aug. 18 after a nearly
five-year battle with breast cancer. She was 63.
As she did in every other aspect of her life, Peggy didn't let
her 2008 diagnosis slow her down. She fought hard - a double
mastectomy, rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and
plenty of trips to the hospital. But through it all, she made
living her top priority, and it wasn't until about six months ago
that the disease began to take over completely.
Born in Pasadena, Calif., Peggy graduated from Pasadena High
School. She was a young mother, and, before the age of 22, she was
divorced with two children. Shortly after her divorce, she met
Charles R. Underwood, another young parent - he, too, a single dad
with two children. Charlie and Peggy remained together ever since,
and would have celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary in
November.
While raising a family, Peggy became employed in the personal
computer industry during its early stages. She developed a knack
for understanding operating systems, and held many jobs over the
decades in the industry - even, as she recalled recently, turning
down an offer with an upstart company headed by Steve Jobs.
The couple moved to New Jersey from Southern California in 1977,
where their daughter, Tanya, was born. While Charlie continued his
career in the boating industry, Peggy tried several other jobs -
including a few years as a real estate agent - while keeping her
hands in information technology.
It was while they were living in New Jersey that Peggy and
Charlie first visited Vermont. All it took was a single family ski
vacation to Killington in 1978 to hook them on the Green Mountain
State. For years, they would return to Vermont as often as
possible, and, in the late 1980s, they purchased their home in
Killington, to which they returned almost every weekend during ski
season until finally making Killington their permanent home two
years ago.
An avid skier until her diagnosis, Peggy loved to move. She
enjoyed running, cycling, spin classes and long hikes along
Killington's ridge lines. She also dabbled a bit in golf, and
enjoyed taking the opportunity to get out on the water.
She retired two years ago as a lead computer trainer at the
Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin law firm in
Philadelphia, and was looking forward to decades of travel, skiing
and, most importantly, time with her children and
grandchildren.
She is survived by her beloved husband, Charlie, and their
children, Tanya Underwood-Best and her husband Tim Best and their
daughter Colette, of Philadelphia; Darren Allen and his
partner Philene Taormina and their children Fiona, Martin and Zane,
of Montpelier, Vt.; Dawn Thomas and her husband Brian Thomas and
their daughter Amber of Eugene, Oregon; David Underwood and his
wife Cyndi Underwood and their son Shane of San Diego; and Sara
Underwood and her husband Michael Felger and their daughters Tessa
and Emma of Wellesley, Mass.. She is also survived by her
stepmother Nancy Wood; her brother Greg Wood and his wife Michelle
and their children Heather and Kevin; and by Charlie's sister Susan
Larkin and her daughter Lisa of San Diego.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 at the Woodstock
Unitarian Universalist Church in Woodstock, Vt. Donations in
Peggy's honor can be made to the San Diego Hospice and
Institute for Palliative Care, where her last days were made
comfortable and peaceful.
An online guest book may be accessed by visiting
cabotfh.com
Tagged:
obituary, Peggy Underwood
