Obituary for Peggy May Tavinor-Hicks (Tavinor)
Peggy May Tavinor-Hicks 12 November 1931 – 13 April 2020
Peggy was born in Hayes Middlesex, to parents Harold and Elsie Tavinor. Her father, born in Swindon, Wiltshire, had been apprenticed on the Great West Railway and came to London in 1926, the year of the Great Strike. There, in Hayes, he met Elsie Hummerston, whose parents, William and Edith were licensees of The Woolpack, a public house on the Grand Union Canal.
Peggy was schooled locally but at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, was evacuated to be with her father’s relatives near Swindon. After the war, she attended Pitman’s Secretarial College in Ealing and joined the staff of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation). In 1952 Peggy married John Henry Pope and in 1957 they emigrated to Canada, living first in Hamilton, then Dunville and finally, Port Hope. A son, Neal John was born in 1959.
For many years, Peggy was Port Hope School Board Secretary and personal secretary of Howard Jordan, the superintendent, and later, school secretary of the Dr. Hawkins Junior High School. During this time, she and her family were involved in both St Paul’s church, Perrytown, and St Mark's, Port Hope.
Sadly, her marriage to John Pope ended in 1976 and the following year she married Vernon Hearns. This period of her life included jobs as varied as pig farming and being a well-respected tour escort with Trentway Wager Buslines. Her tours took her throughout Canada and the USA, often being away on 24-day trips, and she loved researching her schedules and engaging with her varied clientele on the buses.
Another change of life came in 1992, when Peggy married Jack Bennion and they lived at Bonarlaw near Marmora. Their marriage was blessed back in England, at Tewkesbury Abbey, where Peggy’s brother, Michael, was vicar. At Bonarlaw, Peggy was a popular hostess with a wide circle of friends throughout the neighbourhood. After Jack’s death in 2002, Peggy met Bruce Hicks and they were married the following year. Trips to England and in Canada followed and Peggy enjoyed a very varied life with Bruce, even including some experience for them both as ‘extras’ on film sets!
On Bruce’s death in 2011, Peggy continued to live in Madoc but her health deteriorated and her death came, eventually, on Easter Monday, 13 April.
Peggy leaves a son, Neal, married to Bettina, grandchildren, Neacolette, Manja, Hannah, Carl and Jeremy and great-grandchildren, Livi, Gemma, Ellie, Talia and Edison. Peggy is fondly remembered back in England, by her brothers, Robert and Michael. She is remembered too, by stepsons Richard and Michael, and by step-grandchildren Kyle, Adam, Aaron and Ben.
In summarising her long life, her brother Michael writes: ‘Above all, Peggy was a ‘people person’ – Always outgoing, she loved people and enjoyed a wide circle of friends. Life brought a good many challenges, personal and financial, yet Peggy always had the resilience to fight back and to continue to enjoy life. She was, like her father, musical, played the piano and sang. An avid letter writer and e-mailer, she kept and maintained her friendships and always enjoyed hearing how family and friends were faring. In her last weeks and months she was wonderfully looked after by friends and care givers, and the family owe them all a great debt of gratitude. Peg was a ‘one off’ – larger than life - one of life’s real characters. We were the richer for knowing her and having her in our lives and we shall all miss her greatly. May she rest in peace’.
Peggy was born in Hayes Middlesex, to parents Harold and Elsie Tavinor. Her father, born in Swindon, Wiltshire, had been apprenticed on the Great West Railway and came to London in 1926, the year of the Great Strike. There, in Hayes, he met Elsie Hummerston, whose parents, William and Edith were licensees of The Woolpack, a public house on the Grand Union Canal.
Peggy was schooled locally but at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, was evacuated to be with her father’s relatives near Swindon. After the war, she attended Pitman’s Secretarial College in Ealing and joined the staff of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation). In 1952 Peggy married John Henry Pope and in 1957 they emigrated to Canada, living first in Hamilton, then Dunville and finally, Port Hope. A son, Neal John was born in 1959.
For many years, Peggy was Port Hope School Board Secretary and personal secretary of Howard Jordan, the superintendent, and later, school secretary of the Dr. Hawkins Junior High School. During this time, she and her family were involved in both St Paul’s church, Perrytown, and St Mark's, Port Hope.
Sadly, her marriage to John Pope ended in 1976 and the following year she married Vernon Hearns. This period of her life included jobs as varied as pig farming and being a well-respected tour escort with Trentway Wager Buslines. Her tours took her throughout Canada and the USA, often being away on 24-day trips, and she loved researching her schedules and engaging with her varied clientele on the buses.
Another change of life came in 1992, when Peggy married Jack Bennion and they lived at Bonarlaw near Marmora. Their marriage was blessed back in England, at Tewkesbury Abbey, where Peggy’s brother, Michael, was vicar. At Bonarlaw, Peggy was a popular hostess with a wide circle of friends throughout the neighbourhood. After Jack’s death in 2002, Peggy met Bruce Hicks and they were married the following year. Trips to England and in Canada followed and Peggy enjoyed a very varied life with Bruce, even including some experience for them both as ‘extras’ on film sets!
On Bruce’s death in 2011, Peggy continued to live in Madoc but her health deteriorated and her death came, eventually, on Easter Monday, 13 April.
Peggy leaves a son, Neal, married to Bettina, grandchildren, Neacolette, Manja, Hannah, Carl and Jeremy and great-grandchildren, Livi, Gemma, Ellie, Talia and Edison. Peggy is fondly remembered back in England, by her brothers, Robert and Michael. She is remembered too, by stepsons Richard and Michael, and by step-grandchildren Kyle, Adam, Aaron and Ben.
In summarising her long life, her brother Michael writes: ‘Above all, Peggy was a ‘people person’ – Always outgoing, she loved people and enjoyed a wide circle of friends. Life brought a good many challenges, personal and financial, yet Peggy always had the resilience to fight back and to continue to enjoy life. She was, like her father, musical, played the piano and sang. An avid letter writer and e-mailer, she kept and maintained her friendships and always enjoyed hearing how family and friends were faring. In her last weeks and months she was wonderfully looked after by friends and care givers, and the family owe them all a great debt of gratitude. Peg was a ‘one off’ – larger than life - one of life’s real characters. We were the richer for knowing her and having her in our lives and we shall all miss her greatly. May she rest in peace’.