In the late ’90s, Terri and I made our first trip to Tennessee to adopt our wonderful Spanish Water Dog, Nina de Amor, in the Tri-Cities area. Coming from Ann Arbor, that meant traversing Knoxville, the first time I ever saw it. But it wasn’t Terri’s first time–that happened several decades earlier when Terri was playing outfield and first base for a women’s softball team, good enough to be in tournaments throughout the Southeast. The memories flooded back and I heard all about the love and admiration Terri had for her teammate, Peggy Gordon. Peggy played shortstop and subsequently made a career of teaching physical education, helping to raise generations of fitness-minded school kids.
Last May, Terri reunited with Peggy during one of our visits to the Hoosier homeland, and I got to meet Peggy for the first time. She was a vivacious, spry woman filled with humor and joy. I snapped this photo of the two of them in the restaurant where we met.
Around Christmas, Terri took a call from one of her brothers. Peggy had gone to her bedroom to nap and passed on.
The funeral is this morning and Terri is with Peggy’s many friends and family to say goodbye. We decided that I would be more useful taking care of Nina’s successor, Reyna, here in Knoxville, so Terri has made the lightning trip up and back to the Indianapolis area by herself.
May the cords of Peggy’s memory be bound with all who loved and cherished her so that she lives on forever through them. Baruch Dayan Emet, Praised is the True Judge.
