Margaret M. (McCarthy) Schlimm

Margaret “Peggy” McCarthy Schlimm, age 86, of the Tanglewood section of Lower Makefield, died peacefully on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at the Chandler Hall Hospice Pavilion in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

She will be remembered by her family and friends for her warm smile, fun personality, and quick wit. True to her Irish roots, her smiling eyes made people feel comfortable and loved. She embraced a dynamic, open-minded style that crossed generations and welcomed every age.

Peggy was born in Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania, to the late Eugene Patrick and Margaret Sullivan McCarthy. She was a graduate of Johnsonburg High School, where she was football queen, and received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She taught elementary school for over 40 years in Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania; Trenton, New Jersey; and Ewing Township, New Jersey, and she was a cooperating teacher with the College of New Jersey. She was deeply committed to the children she served and brought many creative and innovative methods into her classroom.

She loved traveling, from seeing Broadway shows in New York City to taking in beautiful sights in Europe to cruising on blue Caribbean waters. She could often be found reading, whether while sunbathing on a Long Beach Island (New Jersey) beach or in a cozy chair at home. She volunteered for many years providing meals for homeless families in Trenton through The Lord's Table at the Church of the Sacred Heart, and teaching art appreciation classes to elementary school children through Art Goes To School of Delaware Valley.

Peggy’s great love was her family. She was actively involved with her children in all phases of their lives and could always be found at their sporting events and other activities. She provided fun, interesting experiences for her family, such as hosting children from international cultures through Operation Friendship, driving across the United States on a family road trip, going to Disney World when her children were small, and making special memories for her granddaughter.

She touched many lives with her generous spirit, and she will be missed and remembered by her many cherished friends. Over the years, she established and maintained a wide variety of friendships and stayed active in many communities. Some of these go back more than sixty years and others are much more recent. Her friends kept her engaged, supported, motivated, and curious. She never took them for granted and deeply appreciated them.

Peggy was predeceased by her husband, James Paul Schlimm, and her brother, John William McCarthy. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Gregory James Schlimm and Lynne Mallonee Schlimm of Washington, D.C.; a daughter and son-in-law, Mara Schlimm Ormond and David Ormond of Warwick, MD; a granddaughter, Lula Margaret Ormond, of Warwick, MD; numerous nieces and nephews; and many dear friends.

Services will be held at J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel on Tuesday, January 14. Calling hours will begin at 11:00 a.m., and a celebration of her life will begin at 12 noon. Her remains will then be buried with her beloved husband, Jim, at Washington Crossing National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in memory of Peggy be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or Compassion and Choices.