Peggy Ives, a lively and much loved presence in her family and among her friends and colleagues, died on April 19, 2020 of respiratory complications from COVID 19. She had just celebrated her 95th birthday in high spirits - no matter that it was on Zoom due to stay-at-home orders.

Peggy's vitality was irrepressible. Her "clarion" voice, big welcoming "Yoo-Hoo', announced "things are going to get interesting!" Overcoming many personal losses, she created a life that was important, engaged, impactful and also fun. For all her love of fun and interest in people, she was also introspective and loved her solitude.


Born on April 3, 1925 in Boston, she was the 2nd of the 6 children of Mary Hallowell Crocker and John Crocker. She was raised in Princeton NJ, Groton MA and educated at Milton Academy (1942) and Vassar College (1946). She married Stephen B. Ives, a lawyer and they moved to Providence RI. There she raised five children and got involved in Democratic party politics, a lifelong passion for her.

In 1961, they moved to Washington DC. Peggy was active in efforts to integrate DC schools. She volunteered with the WISE program (Washington Integrated Secondary Education) and Workshops for Careers in the Arts, a program that was the forerunner of the present day Duke Ellington School for the Arts. Her home in Cleveland Park was a home-away-from-home for a succession of nieces, nephews, grad students and young professionals.

In her forties, Peggy earned an MSW at Catholic University of America. She counseled at-risk teens and families for the Montgomery County Health Dept outside of DC. Family therapy, the hot new modality at the time, became her passion. And she was always politically active, advocating for mental health and women's rights. She continued a busy psychotherapy practice until age 80, when she moved from DC to Lasell Village, a retirement community in Newton MA.

There she found a remarkable community of friends and kindred spirits. Committed to lifelong learning, she took classes in history, literature, politics, the arts, and she thrived as a writer with 2 exceptional creative writing teachers. She loved singing with the Voices of Experience, Lasell's chorus. Peggy leaves a dazzling collection of poems and short stories, that draw upon experiences from her childhood, family life, politics, social justice, nature, sailing (she was expert) and her beloved coast of Maine.

Peggy is survived by her children Cathy Cornell, Brad Ives and Checker Ives, their spouses, Bob Cornell, April Fountain, and Sadri Ahmadi, her grandchildren Jack Ahmadi, Willow Russell and her spouse Karen Myers. She is also survived by her sister Mary Strang and brother Bill Crocker and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends of all ages. She is predeceased by two sons Joshua Ives and David Ives and her former husband Stephen B. Ives.

A virtual celebration of Peggy's life will be held in upcoming weeks and will be shared online. At a future date, her family look forward to gathering in person to celebrate her life.

Donations in Peggy's memory can be made to Vinalhaven Land Trust, Rocky Mountain Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, Common Cause or a Democratic candidate of your choice.