Peggy Barwick

Peggy Kirkland Barwick of Pittsboro, North Carolina, died peacefully surrounded by her family on December 30, 2019 following a sudden illness. She was 82 years old. There will be a gathering to celebrate her life on January 11, 2020, at 11:00 AM at Christ United Methodist Church, 800 Market St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, followed by lunch. Peggy was born in Halifax, North Carolina on October 12, 1937, to Charles Gummere Kirkland and Willie Glasgow Kirkland. Growing up and graduating from high school in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, she was trained and worked as a laboratory and X-ray technician. In 1961, she married John Henry Barwick of Grifton, North Carolina, and they made their home in Windsor, North Carolina. In 1966, with two young children, Sam and Mary Glenn, in tow, Peggy and John embarked on a 30-year adventure living abroad as John pursued a career with the British American Tobacco Company. Peggy led and nurtured the family through the excitement and challenge of assimilating into different cultures, frequent relocations as they moved between El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, including experiencing a major earthquake (in Honduras at the time). She appreciated the importance of building relationships within each host culture. Peggy insisted on actively engaging the community in social settings, through her love of the game of golf, and while employing an adept skill at the game of bridge. Peggy set a high standard for entertaining the "proper" way, hosting corporate functions and gatherings while at the same time putting everyone at ease with her Southern charm and humor. She also saw the time abroad as a unique opportunity for her children to develop an appreciation for other places. She insisted on Sam and Mary Glenn immersing themselves in the language and culture of the countries in which they lived while still teaching them a love for their native North Carolina. She made lifelong friends in all of the countries in which she lived. Peggy and John returned to the United States in 1994 and retired in Morehead City, North Carolina. She continued her love of golf and bridge and was President of the Down East Women's Golf Association. In 2015, they relocated to Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Peggy is survived by her husband, John, of 58 years, daughter Mary Glenn Benton and son-in-law Glenn Benton of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, grandchildren Mary Hunter Benton, a fourth-year medical student at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and Captain John Dameron Benton, United States Army stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, and nieces and nephews. Peggy was predeceased by her son, John Samuel Barwick and sister, Doris Kirkland Donald. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to The Bouncing Bulldogs, ATTN: Ray Fredrick, PO Box 2026 Chapel Hill, NC 27515 or to a charity of your choice.