Peggy Lu Peery Kirksey was born March 4, 1938 in the home of her parents, Harold and Alice Peery, on the First Creek Ranch south of Booker. She passed away April 6, 2020 at First Creek, about 100 feet from where she was born.

She was the fourth child of Harold and Alice and also had an older half-sister. Like most children born into a ranching and farming family, she worked alongside her parents and siblings. Her mother, Alice Meyer Peery, often was called into duty to teach at the one room schoolhouse less than a mile from their house.

A beautiful child with white-blond curls, Peggy was extremely shy. When she reached the 6th grade and thus had to attend school in town, she attempted to use all of her considerable charms to get out of being around all those unfamiliar people, but to no avail.

Despite her near constant blushing, she excelled in academics and graduated as the salutatorian of the Booker High School class of 1956. While in school, she caught the eye of many a young suitor, and the summer before her senior year began dating a handsome young teacher named Bobby Leo Kirksey.

Peggy and Bob were married on June 3, 1956, right after Peggy graduated from high school. In May 1957, Scott was born and they started their life as a family in an old house on the Peery place south of Booker. Beth was born in November 1958 and Chris followed in November 1960. The family was complete and moved to a brand new house in Booker in 1963.

Peggy always stayed busy while Bob taught school and farmed in Texas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota with both his father, Leo, and Peggy's father. For many years, Peggy, Bob, and the kids spent the summers with Leo's wheat harvest crew, cutting wheat in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Her heart always belonged to First Creek and a few years after her parents passed away, she and Bobby moved from town after remodeling and adding to her childhood home. Through the years, their home at First Creek was the site of many extended family reunions and frequent gatherings of Peggy's children, grandchildren, and – over the last couple of years – her great granddaughter.

Peggy loved to travel, attend the opera in Santa Fe, Amarillo, and Dallas, bake wonderful delights, sew clothing for herself and her family, tend to her garden, and spend time with her friends, and always continued her lifelong love of reading books. Mostly, though, she loved spending time in the peace and quiet of First Creek.

Peggy was preceded in death by her parents, her half-sister Eddie Hinkle, brother Harold Peery, Jr. (Little Harold), and her loving husband Bob. She is survived by her older sister Evelyn, older brother Ray, her son Scott (with wife Jo and children Tia, Aidan, and Dylan), her daughter Beth, her son Chris (with wife Betsy and children Kelsey, Haley, Matthew, and great granddaughter Hollis), along with several nieces and nephews, a whole bunch of cousins, and many wonderful friends.

In lieu flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Bulah Peery Memorial Scholarship Fund, created in honor of Peggy's Aunt Bulah. A memorial service will be held at a later date when family and friends are able to gather and celebrate her life.