Peggy Ann (Koutsoukos) George / Πέγκυ Αν Κουτσούκος

Peggy was born on August 13, 1946, at the Columbia Hospital for Women in Washington DC. Peggy joined the heavens on January 26th, 2021 in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

God did not make Peggy Ann George tall, but what she lacked in height she more than made up for in breadth: traveler, activist, mother, chef, gardener. For 74 years, she kept her music loud, her luggage overpacked, and her dinner parties crowded. She was not afraid of capital letters or exclamation points because she knew that LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!

As a child in the heart of the District, she would race her friends up the 896 steps of the Washington Monument. The goal was not to finish it quickly, but rather to infuse tedium with joy.  She learned to live — like her cherished Greek Orthodox holidays — on her own time.

As an adult in a time when banks could legally refuse to issue credit cards to women, she created her own insurance business, quickly getting recruited by Allstate and winning back-to-back national titles as Insurance Woman of the Year.

After Sunday services at St. Sophia, she'd take her children to the Smithsonian to soak in the nation's art and history, and told them about her own activism at protests and marches over the years, using the past to hone her ever-present optimism towards the future. It's no wonder her children, Billy and Timi, dedicated themselves to public service.

Her life's mantra — "it is what it is" — bent, as so many did in her presence, to her will. Cherries, for example, were best enjoyed when they were covered in chocolate. She skied in Alaska and golfed in Hershey. She would go to France and bring back a surprise chandelier, or to Italy and bring back elegant high heels. She didn't just listen to music or sing along to it; she shook the world to her music, pumping the brakes of her white Fleetwood Brougham Cadillac to the beat of her tunes whenever she stopped at a red light.

Having excelled at raising children, she tried her hand at raising tomatoes, which grew with a similar sweetness and fullness. In the sunset of her life she moved to Florida, where all the sunsets are beautiful.  Now that she has been called to the next life, Heaven is finally privy to her renowned baklava recipe — although its magic was never really a secret. She just made it sweeter than anybody else's. She made everything sweeter.

May her memory be eternal.

She is survived by her three brothers Nick, John and Billy, and their respective families, as well as her children, Billy and Timi, and their respective spouses. The funeral viewing and service will be held at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Washington DC, on Thursday, Feb 4th, starting at 10 am. The family will hold a private burial at Washington National Cemetery immediately following the church service. In Peggy's memory, we plan to hold a large Celebration of Life once this health crisis is over. We are receiving cards at 812 Suffield Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20878 .  In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either the National Organization for Women (NOW.org), or the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (ALZFDN.org).