It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of my mother’s passing.  Peggie or “Maggie” as she was known was a woman of many passions; a woman with “moxie”.  Born in the year 1938, the year of the great hurricane, she was a force, a force for good. She had no patience for people who were impolite or unkind to people or animals.

          Peggie was blessed with two wonderful parents; Camille Pare and Violet E. Vennel Pare and was raised in the Catholic faith along with her brother George and her sister Mary Ann.  She had a love of music from an early age.  She played some piano and played bugle for her girl scout troop.  Peggie had a lovely voice and sang in her church choir.  She knew the lyrics to almost any song you could think of and her taste in music ranged from Andrea Boccelli to the Stylistics to Queen.  The music of Johnny Mathis was a joy for her up to her last hours.

          In 1960, Peggie began her family with Paul Cassinari.  She liked to brag that she was the first non-Italian to join the family.  Peggie had five children with Paul and truly enjoyed being a mother.  Though she and Paul divorced they remained friends throughout their lives.  When her children were grown she went to work as a teacher’s aide and later went to school to become a medical secretary and office manager. She made herself invaluable to the doctors she worked for.  Peggie particularly enjoyed the perks of working for the Red Sox orthopedic doctor back in the day.  Peggie was a diehard Red Sox fan.

          Peggie was a woman of many passions.  An avid and talented photographer, she loved the natural world.  She loved to be near the ocean, be it the coast of Maine or California.  She had an affinity for communicating with the animals.  Even at the nursing home where she spent her last years, she would chatter with the birds when we sat outside together.  She also loved her cats that brought her joy and comfort.

          Peggie “Maggie” was a beautiful woman both inside and out. She had a number of suitors in her day, even as an older woman.  She had a melodic and infectious laugh that will be missed by many.  She is survived by her brother George and his wife Kathe, her children and their spouses Lisa and Dave Tellier, Chris, Michael, Peter and Elisabeth Cassinari, and John Cassinari and Tony Gagliani. She also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Peggie will be missed by many, not least of all her devoted friends and the staff of Chestelm that cared for her.

          Aurora Mc Carthy Funeral Home in Colchester, CT is handling arrangements.  A private service and Celebration of Life will be held next Spring. If you would like to honor Peggie’s memory with a donation, please consider a donation to the World Central Kitchen, Greenpeace, or the ASPCA.