Peggy Almond

Peggy Ann Holt Almond, 76 years old, passed away June 10, 2017 at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. She was born June 3, 1941 in Albemarle, NC to Vernon Holt and Maxine Holt who preceded her in death. She was a beautiful young woman full of promise, talent, intelligence, and immeasurable compassion.

As a graduate from New London High School in 1959 and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1960, she worked as a radiology technician early in her career at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, NC. She followed this part of her career with new training at the Texas Heart Institute and a subsequent endeavor as a Cardiopulmonary Perfusionist, returning to Presbyterian Hospital where she worked until 1986. She was very proud to have been given the opportunity to be part of groundbreaking interventions and the ability to touch so many lives pursuing a career in the field of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Peggy was a longtime member of Newell Baptist Church. Although Peggy was not able to regularly attend services she loved God, her church community, and enjoyed visits with her pastor and other Sunday school members. In the years when her children were young, she regularly helped with Vacation Bible School and assisted with the children’s choir at Whiting Avenue Baptist Church as she loved to sing and play the piano.

Peggy was a Worthy Advisor with the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She had a passion for cooking and lavished that gift on her family and friends, and later imparted her skills to her daughters. She routinely sewed clothes for her children and sought relaxation in other crafts and needle work projects. Having been blessed with a green thumb and a love of gardening she kept a garden year-round with her husband. Peggy also maintained several outdoor feeders as she enjoyed watching birds from her front window every day. She loved being social and was always able to quickly initiate conversation that would lead you to think you had known her for years. Filled with compassion and interest in others, Peggy always made friends easily and maintained contact with many of her lifelong friends. If you had the chance to meet her, you were instantly enamored. Her kindness, loving touch, subtle secretive giggle, quick wit, and her undeniable ability to reminisce of times long gone by made her a joy to be with and easy to love. She had an incredible way of putting others at ease no matter how she struggled internally with her own limitations. She was lovingly selfless throughout her entire journey until she left us.

Having survived a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in 1986, Peggy has been devotedly cared for in her family home by her surviving husband of 56 years, Bobby Almond and their three children; Charlotte Helms, Heather Almond, and Bobby Almond. Peggy is also survived by her sister, Vernona Glover; son in law, Mike Helms; daughter in law, Alice Almond; and three grandchildren, Blake Almond, Davis Helms, and Paxton Almond.

The family will receive visitors on Thursday, June 15, 2017 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM at Hartsell Funeral Home in Albemarle, NC. Interment will follow at Stanley Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked donations to be made to the American Heart Association or Newell Baptist Church.

Hartsell Funeral Home Albemarle is serving the Almond family.