Margaret Anne Sibley

Sibley, Margaret Anne

Margaret "Peggy" Sibley, 79 of Alpine, NY, passed away Saturday, January 9, 2016 at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, NY, surrounded by her family and friends. A kind and generous person, she was known to many for her adventurous spirit and welcoming nature that made her like a mother to more than her immediate family. Born June 21, 1936, in Joliet, Illinois, she completed high school in Canton, NY, then graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in library science. While student teaching in Buffalo, NY, she met Fred Sibley, a Cornell graduate and ornithologist. They married that summer (1958) and a year later set off for Nigeria, where Fred had secured a teaching position at the University in Ibadan. Peggy's first child, Steven, was born in Ibadan, and was followed by three more children (David, Anne, and Elizabeth "Betsy") as they lived in various locations back in the U.S. When Fred took a position as a scientist with the Smithsonian, they moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and Peggy faced rumors that she was a single parent pretending to be married, as she was living on her own with small children while Fred went to the South Pacific on research expeditions for months at a time. When Betsy was still an infant they moved to Ojai, California. Later moves brought them to Bolinas, California, Guilford, Connecticut, Naugatuck, Connecticut, and finally Alpine, New York. Despite Fred's field research taking him away on long trips, Peggy was always a compassionate and resilient mother. She allowed her children to be adventurous explorers, participated in frequent camping trips, and did not mind when the children (or their father) brought various creatures to live in the house - a condor, snakes, a barn owl, tarantulas, lizards, caterpillars, and so on. Peggy was a friendly, thoughtful and intrepid traveler, and she and Fred made many friends as they camped throughout the US and traveled the world. They visited over 30 countries, especially after the children were grown and Fred retired, including Uganda, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, Hong Kong, French Guyana, Nicaragua, Honduras, and multiple trips to the British Virgin Islands Costa Rica, and Trinidad and Tobago. She and Fred remained connected with their worldwide network of friends, and their home was often a stopping point for friends passing through. Peggy was always community-minded. In every place that she lived, she joined clubs and volunteered at churches and libraries. She worked for many years at the Guilford Free Library, and more recently has been a volunteer at the Odessa Library and with Reading Buddies, and a member of Zonta Club. She enjoyed cooking and learning about different cuisines and regional foods, picking up new recipes and cookbooks every place she traveled. Peggy was predeceased by her parents, Miriam and Lorence Pries, and her sister, Nancy Wratten. She is survived by her husband, Fred; sister, Ellen Bonde (Chip); brother-in-law, Craig Wratten (Ardeene); sons, Steven Sibley (Kathy) and David Sibley (Joan Walsh); daughters, Anne Sibley (Charles Jenkins) and Betsy Elswit (Dan); grandchildren, Adam Sibley (Jessica), Erin Sibley, Noah Jenkins, Ben Sibley, Evan Sibley, Andrew Jenkins, Joel Sibley, and Clare Jenkins; and four nieces. Peggy and Fred welcomed Lori Guerette (Al) into their home as a teenager, and she has remained a daughter to them since. A memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Monday, January 11, at the Odessa-Catherine Methodist Church. The family will receive visitors at 1 pm. Vedder & Scott Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Gifts in Peggy's memory may be made to the Dutton S. Peterson Memorial Library, Odessa, NY, the Lorence and Miriam Pries Scholarship at SUNY Canton, Canton, NY; or the Finger Lakes Land Trust. To leave the family a message of condolence, sign a guestbook, or to light a "Candle of Remembrance," please visit www.vedderandscottfuneralhome.com