Mary Margaret Magee

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Mary “Peggy” Margaret Magee on February 16, 2025. She left us peacefully after a brief and unexpected battle with lymphoma, just 14 days after entering the hospital, and only six days after receiving her diagnosis. Life flighted to a hospital in Phoenix, she was surrounded by her loving family during her final days. Peggy was a woman of strength and resilience. Widowed at the age of 39, she raised three young children on her own, never remarrying. Though life was often difficult, she poured her heart and soul into giving her children the best life possible. Through her unwavering dedication, she instilled in her children strong values, morals, and even ensured they knew proper etiquette—gifts that will last them forever. This extraordinary woman was more than just a mother to her children; she was a guide, a teacher, and an inspiration. Mary Margaret Runne was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on March 25, 1936. She was raised by her mother Anna Runne and spent much of her childhood with her cousin David Blaha and his family at the beach in Lavalette, New Jersey. She attended Benedictine Academy High School and even spent one summer working with alligators in Kissimmee Florida at what is now known as Gatorland. In 1957, Peggy married Jack Courtney Magee, moved to California and had three children. When her husband suddenly passed away in 1975, Peggy was left alone to raise three young children. Peggy worked hard as a bookkeeper to put food on the table and would play the stock market to earn enough money to take the family on trips to the east coast and Europe during the summers. In her earlier years, she was a well-known astrologist even appearing on the Del Gore talk show in California. Peggy was also politically active: taking ballots to Clark Gable so he could vote when he was in the hospital and working on Reagan’s Presidential campaigns. Political dinner parties were a way of life in the home, with her three children regularly performing for guests. Later in life, Peggy moved to Arizona and became a professional genealogist. She started Magee Publications and produced a series of periodicals on Irish and Scottish Genealogy from 1981-1990. Peggy taught courses on genealogy at Yavapai College well into her 70s and helped others discover their roots by taking them on genealogical tours of Ireland. Peggy was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Courtney Magee, and is survived by her three children, Donna Susan Magee, Colleen Karen Magee, and James Courtney Magee, six granddaughters, Jennifer Magee, Jaclyn Magee, Crystal Hallenbeck, Tiffany Hallenbeck, Summer (Patrick) O'Hara, and Misty Hallenbeck, and four great grandchildren, Joey Epps, Kayleen Hallenbeck, Patrick O'Hara IV, and Sawyer O'Hara. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in Peggy’s honor at any of her favorite charities: St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Salvation Army, and Boys Town.

Mary Margaret Magee

March 25, 1936 - February 16, 2025