Notes:

MARGARET WINSLOW PFOHL
Margaret(a.k.a. Peggy, Maggie, & Nonna) was born in Valley City, North Dakota to Sam and Jean Hill on January 28, 1947, the youngest of six children. The household was erudite. Mother had master’s degrees in Latin and chemistry and father had a master’s degree in soils chemistry. Father was also a National and Big Ten record-setting swimming champion. Peggy started college in Iowa but left at the age of 20 to join her two older sisters in Washington. The oldest sister was married to an officer of the IMF who was transferred to Paris.Peggy, who had four years of French in high school joined them, did the shopping, cooking, and enjoyed the vibrant social life. She returned to Washington met and married John Metcalf who was a musician in “The President’s Own,” the Marine Corps band that served the White House. John opted for a life as a professional musician in New York where Peggy worked for the great jazz pianist, Erroll Garner, which led to many interesting stories. Their daughter, Hope, was born in 1970. The marriage didn’t work out and the couple parted company. Peggy moved back to Washington and after a time managed to buy a townhouse in Mount Pleasant that had two apartments on the upper floors. She was very able in many respects not the least of which was her skill as a handyman. That townhouse served her very well. One of her tenants kept telling his colleague, Harold (a.k.a. Harry) Pfohl, that he and his landlady should get together. Eventually they did. She then went back to college where she pursued a long-held dream of teaching little children. She loved teaching, she loved kids and she was awfully good at it. Her family was at the center of her being. She devoted endless care to Hope’s well-being in her growth to adulthood.Wh en Hope’s two children arrived on the scene they too were the object of care and concern no matter what and when. During the prolonged worst of Covid 19 she and Harry went to Hope’s townhouse twice per week, masked, socially distanced and sitting outdoors to spend some time providing a little relief for Hope and the kids. She engaged in charity for years, taking care of household and personal financial accounts on behalf of individuals supported by the County who were incapable of dealing with these tasks. This past year she delivered food once per week to several families through an organization that dealt with hunger. Among her numerous talents Peggy was a brilliant cook. Over the 44 years of marriage she prepared roughly 15,000 widely varied, gourmet dinners. Except for the summer months each dinner was with candlelight and silver. They lived for 35 years in Glen Echo Heights, a Maryland suburb just across the DC line.Peggy’s social skills led to neighborhood parties where dozens of people gathered on her driveway and back patio. She helped to create a sense of community in a neighborhood of busy professional people who seldom had a chance to interact. In the two houses and the condominium that they owned Peggy did a wonderful job of turning them into homes – her touch was deeply imprinted. The couple traveled widely particularly enjoying the cultures of the countries that they visited: Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Russia, Denmark,England, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Egypt, Malta, China, and of course much of the US and Canada. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 2021, underwent surgery and radiation. She was adamant that Harry not tell anyone about it. Recovering from surgery she walked more than a mile daily in the early morning hours to rebuild her energy. She would walk for a distance, pause for a few minutes, catch her breath and then continue. That approach enabled her to cover considerable ground. In many ways this past year was been normal. There were several trips to visit family in Ohio, the upper Midwest, and New Hampshire. Historical Philadelphia and Boston were touring targets and great fun. She booked a train tour of the Swiss Alps, Sept. 30 – October 12. It was spectacular, not least thanks to remarkably delightful tour companions. She managed to be comfortable at 5,000’ elevation, she took her time walking, and she thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Her difficulties began on the October 12th, nine hour flight home from Geneva during which she was short of breath for the entire flight. Wheelchairs were needed at the Newark and Dulles airports. The cancer was very advanced, and during the flight she experienced the onset of a mild case of Covid which was brutal given her weakened lungs. In consultation with her oncologist she opted to fight the cancer rather than enter hospice. The cancer was too aggressive and she passed away on Wednesday afternoon, November 23rd, the day before Thanksgiving.

January 28, 1947 – November 23, 2022

Memorial gathering is planned for this spring when the flowers are out.

Family/Spouse: PFOHL, Harold William. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: METCALF, John. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: ROSS, Brian Bennett. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]