Peggy Bollinger Bowen

Peggy Bowen, age 87, of San Angelo, passed away comfortably on April 28, 2019 at the Schleicher County Nursing Home in Eldorado, Texas with her son, Brian, and daughter-in-law, Dana, by her side. Family and children were her only interests, and she loved them all with the love that only comes from Jesus Christ. She was known by thousands of people in San Angelo as “Ms. Peggy,” since she was the owner and operator of Peggy’s Playhouse Nursery and Kindergarten started in 1959 and which eventually became The Learning Center. In her early years, she was Peggy Beth to her brothers, sister and parents, but known to the rest family as Mother, Mom and Grandma Peggy. She will be greatly missed by all her knew her and loved her. Peggy was born on May 8, 1931 in Knickerbocker, Texas to George Albin Strother and Fannie Mae Foster Strother. She had two older brothers, Gene and Francis, a younger sister, Patsy, and a younger brother, Travis. She attended school in Knickerbocker where her Mother was a teacher and went to San Angelo High School where she was active in the orchestra, Scribblers Club and played in the Ping Pong Club, graduating in 1948. Following graduation, she worked as a bookkeeper and she attended San Angelo College taking courses in business. On August 30, 1949, she married William (Bill) Jack Bollinger, also of Knickerbocker. Bill was then attending Texas A&M College majoring in Animal Husbandry and she moved to Bryan, Texas for his senior year. After becoming pregnant with her first son, Bill, they moved back to Knickerbocker where they farmed on the Bollinger family land. In 1957, they moved to San Angelo, living on the last street going out of town, Princeton Ave. While Bill was working at Mayflower Moving Company and the Appliance Mart, Peggy worked at Gandy’s Creamery as their bookkeeper. In 1959, Peggy opened Peggy’s Playhouse in their house on Princeton taking care of children 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Over the years, they added to the house to increase the size for the daycare, then purchased the house next door to increase the capacity. Finally, in about 1963, they built a new, larger daycare on Industrial Avenue. Their daycare business became the largest childcare facility in the State of Texas, and they assisted the legislature in writing the Texas childcare licensing regulations. Over more than 50 years, Ms. Peggy helped San Angelo raise more than 10,000 children, each one of which she loved as her own. Peggy loved playing cards with her friends and was active with Bill in the San Angelo Masonic Lodge and the Suez Shrine Temple. Peggy was a Christian who provided her witness to the world in the most practical way, through her tireless and unending love and care for children following Christ’s commandment to “love one another, even as I have loved you.” In 1977, Bill passed away and Peggy married Carl Fay Bowen in May 1979. Fay passed away on February 10, 2009. Peggy is survived by six children: Bill Bollinger and his wife Carol of Bedford, Texas; Toni Waldrop and her husband J.R. of San Angelo; Bob Bollinger and his wife Twila of Fort Worth, Texas; Monty and his wife Annette of Eufala, Oklahoma; Brian Bollinger and his wife Dana of San Angelo; and Melissa Grote and her husband Scott of Johnson City, Texas. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild. Peggy is survived by her brother Travis Strother of San Angelo. Peggy was predeceased by her daughter, Tricia Elizabeth Bollinger, in 1985 due to a car accident. A public viewing ceremony will be held on Friday, May 3, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Harper Funeral Home. There will be a graveside service at Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens on May 4, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. The family asks that you make donations to your favorite charity supporting children in honor of Peggy Bollinger Bowen.