Classy Peggy Johnson (Sep 14, 2026)

Welcome to Rotary, Peggy Johnson!

Our newest member, Peggy Johnson, gave us a wonderful glimpse into the life behind the name—and judging by her presentation, Peggy has never been one to sit still for very long!

Born in Port Alberni and raised in Richmond, Peggy described her childhood as “magical,” growing up on a dead-end street with her sister, surrounded by what her mother jokingly described as “two kids and 72 dogs.” She later graduated from Burnett High School and, rather than heading off to university, jumped straight into the working world.

Her first job was in the ladies’ shoe department at The Bay in Richmond. Peggy quickly demonstrated that she had ambitions beyond selling shoes, completing a three-month course in just three days and repeatedly asking, “What’s next?” Her determination led to management and buying positions, and she eventually spent 14 years with the company, including managing the stores at Champlain Heights and Coquitlam.

Family then became the focus of Peggy’s life. She and her husband, Don, were married for 45 years before he passed away, sharing what Peggy described as “magical years” together. Don, a bus driver for 35 years, was her biggest cheerleader. Their family includes a son who lives in Germany and a daughter who has followed Peggy into the family business.

Peggy spent 14 wonderful years as a stay-at-home mom, becoming the ultimate sports parent, scout leader and cheerleader. When she eventually returned to work, she joined the growing world of the Internet—despite having to learn what a JPEG was! She also became involved in an investment club with six other women. The group contributed $50 a month, debated investment ideas and, remarkably, is still going strong today.

In 2004, Peggy and a friend started a business that began part-time so they could remain available for their children's sporting activities. It eventually evolved into a successful design-services company supporting designers and architectural projects. After many years in business, Peggy retired on March 31, handing the reins over to her daughter—a transition she says she could not be prouder of.

Retirement, however, clearly does not mean slowing down. Peggy is an enthusiastic traveller and has explored destinations including Thailand, Scotland, Japan, Germany and Iceland, where she recently hiked on a glacier. With more of the world still on her list, retirement promises to be busy!

At home, Peggy is equally energetic. She loves entertaining and is happiest with a house full of people around her dinner table. Her parties are often themed, including a memorable Don Johnson party, a Grease theme and a Mamma Mia celebration. She also enjoys card nights, crafting, sewing, knitting and quilting. Her quilts have progressed from a modest 200 pieces to an impressive 2,000-piece creation.

And then there is Christmas. Peggy’s family takes decorating very seriously—or perhaps not seriously at all! Every trip produces another wonderfully tacky souvenir for the Christmas tree, and decorating can take more than two hours. The family even has its own “Christmas Council,” complete with rules governing who is allowed to join.

Peggy concluded by saying she feels extremely fortunate in life—“lucky in love, lucky in work and lucky in family.” She also expressed how welcomed she has felt by our Rotary Club and how excited she is to learn, contribute and become more involved.

Judging by the warmth of the welcome from our members, the feeling is definitely mutual. Welcome to Rotary, Peggy—we’re delighted to have you with us!

Since John was mysteriously absent this week after the classification speech, the Sergeant-at-Arms report was reconstructed using the highly reliable method of making things up based on what we already know about everyone. The following may not be entirely accurate—but it certainly sounds plausible.

Debbie S. was busy welcoming new people into the Rotary family, although it remains unclear whether she actually meets anyone who isn't somehow connected to KPMG, Rotary, or both. She apparently continues to believe that everyone she meets is only one degree of separation from someone she already knows.

Chris M. reported that life continues to revolve around good food and good company. There was, of course, considerable discussion about dinner plans, although whether Casa Mona was involved this week is still under investigation.

John was reportedly on grandchild duty again, which appears to be rapidly becoming his second career. Between family commitments, hockey conversations and the occasional reference to Whitehorse, John seems to have little trouble keeping busy—even when he isn't actually at Rotary.

Peggy provided another fascinating glimpse into the history of the neighbourhood. While the rest of us are trying to remember where we parked our cars, Peggy seems to know who lived in every house, when they lived there and probably what colour the kitchen was.

Judy was keeping up her impressive social calendar, including her regular high-school reunions and connections with friends from Wisconsin. At this rate, Judy's reunion schedule may require its own administrative assistant.

Debbie M. continued to demonstrate that being a grandmother is essentially a full-time occupation—with cooking thrown in for good measure. There was apparently another round of grandbaby duty, proving once again that grandchildren have a remarkably effective way of rearranging one's schedule.

Marg was reportedly somewhere between the garden and the kitchen, where vegetables mysteriously disappear and reappear as jars of preserves. Pickled onions remain one of her specialties, and there is growing concern that the Rotary Club may soon be supplied with enough pickled onions to last through 2030.

Bill was busy with weddings, exchange-student connections and international friendships. Germany continues to figure prominently in his world, proving once again that Rotary's greatest asset may be its ability to turn almost any social occasion into an international networking opportunity.

Danny was apparently contemplating his next adventure to Alaska—or at least talking about the last one. His connections with the Juneau Rotary Club and his interest in Tai Chi demonstrate that he has somehow combined travel, Rotary and relaxation into one remarkably efficient lifestyle.

Sandra was keeping busy with baking and gardening. Baby-shower cookies and cupcakes have apparently become part of her repertoire, while her dahlias continue to compete for attention. At this point, it is unclear whether Sandra has more flowers or baked goods in production at any given time.

Brian was once again associated with the great outdoors, with paddling and trips to Parksville and Comox figuring prominently. While some of us consider a walk to the parking lot an outdoor adventure, Brian apparently feels the need to add water and a paddle.

Lawrence was spotted somewhere between the aquarium and Disneyland, demonstrating the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between educational experiences and large quantities of Disney merchandise.

Michael apparently continues to attend weddings at a rate that would make a professional wedding planner nervous. With six weddings already part of the recent tally, the obvious question is whether Michael is attending them—or secretly arranging them.

And finally, the rest of us apparently had perfectly normal weeks, which means that nothing particularly interesting happened and therefore we have nothing to report.

So there you have it: another week in the lives of our Rotary Club members. Some of these events may have happened, some may have happened to somebody else, and some may have been completely fabricated by a Sergeant-at-Arms who was not actually there.

But isn't that more or less how all good Rotary stories begin?

Miscellaneous

Welcome to Rotary, Peggy Johnson!

MEANDERINGS

Arachibutyrophobia, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

TODAY'S CHUCKLEs