Longtime resident, Fruitlands docent, mother of seven
Peggy Braat. (Courtesy photo)
Dorothy “Peggy” Braat, 94, died peacefully Tuesday, March 28, 2018, at the RiverCourt Residences in Groton. She was born June 17, 1923, in Hamilton, Ontario, and was a graduate of the Niagara Falls (New York) High School and Hope College in Holland, Michigan. She started postgraduate work in physiology at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Peggy married Ken Burke in the late 1940s and had a son, Colin, and a daughter, Anne, before her husband’s death in 1954. She eventually married John Braat, who had three children of his own (Doug, Jennifer, and Wendy) in 1956. She and John had twin boys, Will and Steve, to round out their combined families.
In addition to being the mother of seven children, Peggy was an active member of the community in Pearl River, New York; Montvale, New Jersey; and eventually Harvard, where she lived for 45 years. She was an active church member at her beloved St. Andrew’s in Ayer, an occasional substitute teacher, and a member of the Garden Club of Harvard, book clubs, the church choir, and PEO, a women’s philanthropic organization focused on the advancement of women. She was a docent at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard for many years. She was also a somewhat reluctant first mate, but enthusiastic chef and bartender, on many sailing trips. The common thread through all her activity was her sociable nature and ability to forge relationships that lasted for years.
Peggy is survived by her daughters Wendy and Anne; her sons, Doug, Colin, Will, and Steve; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Peggy was preceded in death by her husband John and daughter Jennifer.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, April 16, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ayer. Family, friends, and all who knew Peggy are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Peggy’s name to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church or to Doctors Without Borders, her favorite charities.
Visit www.andersonfuneral.com for additional information.
