Margery ‘Peggy’ Rugen

Mystic — Margery “Peggy” (Valentine) Rugen, 98, died Oct. 9, 2019, at Avalon Health Care, Mystic, with her three children at her bedside. She had been a longtime resident of the affiliated StoneRidge Retirement Community after making homes in Charlestown, R.I., Longboat Key, Fla., and Stafford Springs.

Peggy was born in 1920, in Stafford Springs to Margery (Chapman) Valentine and Richard H. Valentine. Her father and grandfather were prominent local citizens, managing owners of The Warren Woolen Company. Peggy attended local schools until she matriculated at The George School, Newtown, Pa., graduating in 1938. She attended Colby Junior (now Colby-Sawyer) College in New London, N.H., graduating with an associate’s degree. During her college years, Peggy met her future husband, Richard L. Rugen, an engineering student at Dartmouth College. One of the highlights of those years was her election as Dartmouth Homecoming Queen. After college, Peggy enjoyed a brief career as a model in New York City, attending the Tobé-Coburn (now Wood Tobé-Coburn) School for Fashion and appearing in fashion magazine features and advertising.

Peggy and Richard “Dick” Rugen were married Dec. 26, 1942, and began a peripatetic early life together as Dick furthered his engineering training, worked briefly for Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young), and contributed to the U.S. World War II effort by designing military aircraft for Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Co. The newlyweds lived in a variety of locations including Newton, Mass., St. Louis, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn.

After the war, Dick joined Peggy’s family’s woolen manufacturing business, and they moved back to her hometown of Stafford Springs. There, they raised their three children and engaged in a number of civic activities. Peggy was active on Stafford Springs Congregational Church committees and the Women’s Auxiliary of Johnson Memorial Hospital. She also served as a Cub Scout den mother for several years.

Following Dick’s retirement as president of The Warren Woolen Company, Peggy and Dick moved to their home at Quonochontaug Central Beach, R.I. Additionally, they purchased a home in Longboat Key, Fla., and spent winter months there for a number of years, enjoying leisure time, golf, tennis and many new and old friendships.

After Dick died in 1999, Peggy moved back to Rhode Island permanently, and later became one of the original residents of StoneRidge Retirement Community. She made cherished new friends, served on several committees and savored life in the Mystic area.

Peggy was predeceased by her husband; her parents; and her three siblings: Virginia Valentine Gwynne, Carol Valentine Kabler and Richard H. Valentine Jr. In her later years, Peggy was especially close to her other surviving sibling, Carol, who, like Peggy, enjoyed an active longevity. They maintained a spirited correspondence for many years.

Peggy is survived by her three loving children: Sanford L. Rugen of Charlestown, R.I., James S. Rugen and his wife, Nancy Burns Rugen, of Windsor, and Kate V. Rugen and her partner, Alix Ogden, of Stonington.

Peggy is also survived by many nieces and nephews; great-nieces and great-nephews; as well as a cherished circle of close friends.

Highly sociable, Peggy enjoyed planning gatherings of family and friends. She had known Glenn Miller, loved the music of the Big Band Era and knew every lyric to innumerable songs of that time. She had a prodigious memory for nearly every movie she had ever seen. She enjoyed good literature and had a talent for writing. She enjoyed several European trips, skied in the Swiss Alps and hiked mountain trails in The White Mountains and the Adirondacks. She was a loving wife to her husband and an untiring advocate for her children, who will remember her loving generosity, her sense of humor and her incomparable French fries.

Peggy’s family wishes to thank all the staff of Avalon Health Care for the attention and love they bestowed on her. They, and the friends she made at StoneRidge and Avalon eased the challenges Peggy faced in the 10th decade of her long and active life.

Arrangements are private, and the family gratefully asks those who wish to honor Peggy’s memory to donate to a charity of their choice. Favorites of Peggy’s were The New London Homeless Hospitality Center, Disabled American Veterans and organizations dedicated to easing suffering from disease and poverty, especially among children.

Mystic Funeral Home (www. mysticfuneralhome.com) has charge of arrangements.