PEGGY LOU GAIR

GAIR PEGGY LOU GAIR October 20, 1921 - December 18, 2015 Sweet, feisty, fun Peggy Lou (Davis) Gair died peacefully in her apartment at Brookdale Windsor, Windsor, CA, on December 18, 2015. Right up to the end she loved life and was engaged in the world around her. She could pull a good time out of any situation and made friends wherever she went. She met the world with curiosity, humor, and a sharp intelligence. In her social work career and throughout her life she promoted equality and justice for all. She treated everyone with respect and kindness. In 2013 she had moved to California from the Washington D.C. area, the latest adventure in a life full of change. Born in Rochester New York, Peggy Lou grew up there and in the small upstate New York towns of Savona, Wallace, and Fairport. Her childhood and teenage years were a mix of country and city life: loving, salt-of-the-earth small town relatives- inventors, farmers, town lawyers, entrepreneurs and eccentrics; and in Rochester, neighborhoods and city schools teaming with immigrants and new ideas. Her parents, Julian and Eva, brought music, joking, and a respect for education to their daughter while stoically facing severe depression-era troubles. Peggy Lou''s friendships from these early years, and later, from her time at the University of Rochester, remained strong for over 90 years. Peggy Lou entered the University of Rochester on a full scholarship and graduated with honors and a degree in Social Work. At the "U of R", during a Victorian poetry class, Peggy Lou and Jack (Jacob E.) Gair met and fell in love. They married in 1942, just before Jack entered World War II, a B-24 pilot flying in the 8th Army Air Force out of England. When the war ended, in Baltimore, MD, Peggy Lou supported the couple as Jack completed his PhD in geology at Johns Hopkins University. Jack''s specialty in iron ore, working for the U.S. Geological Survey, spurred the family to live in many different parts of the U.S. and beyond including rural West Virginia, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Denver, CO, Marquette, MI; and Kensington, MD. Peggy Lou and Jack''s deep interest in new places, cultures, and people led them to travel all over the world, from Central America, to Europe, to Turkey and Russia. Peggy Lou and Jack had three children, Cynthia, Philip, and Dan, to whom they passed along their love of nature, intellectual discourse, practical jokes, travel, art, music, and justice. Throughout her life, Peggy Lou believed in expanding opportunities to poor people, immigrants, and others facing difficulties. She was a beloved and respected social worker, first working with young people at YWCAs, and later, with seminal programs at the U.S. Job Corps, counseling girls trying to improve their lives. She opened the Washington D.C. Job Corps in the early 1970s, tirelessly inspiring and cajoling government and private sector offices to give job opportunities to Job Corps'' young women. Later, she worked for Montgomery County, MD Social Services'' childcare and foster care programs. She was a strong advocate for children''s well-being. Peggy Lou''s family and friends meant everything to her. She is survived and will always be loved by Cynthia Gair and Chet Boddy of Mendocino, CA; Dan Gair and Holly Hunter of Mayto, Mexico; Aja Lee Gair of Austin, TX; Robert I. Gair, of Washington, DC; David and Rita Gair of Miami, FL; Barbara Scheiber and family, of Maryland; and by dear friends around the world, including Lura May Dillow, Deborah Evering, Phyllis Seward, and Barb Steen. Donations in Peggy Lou''s honor may be made to The American Civil Liberties Union (www.aclu.org) or Heifer International (www.heifer.org).Peggy Lou''s family and friends meant everything to her. She is survived and will always be loved by Cynthia Gair and Chet Boddy of Mendocino, CA; Dan Gair and Holly Hunter of Mayto, Mexico; Aja Lee Gair of Austin, TX; Robert I. Gair, of Washington, DC; David and Rita Gair of Miami, FL; Barbara Scheiber and family, of Maryland; and by dear friends around the world, including Lura May Dillow, Deborah Evering, Phyllis Seward, and Barb Steen. Donations in Peggy Lou''s honor may be made to The American Civil Liberties Union (www.aclu.org) or Heifer International (www.heifer.org).