Obituary: Margaret “Peg” Durkee, nee Willis, 73, of Watertown

OBITUARY courtesy of Hickcox Funeral Home

WATERTOWN, CT - Margaret “Peg” Durkee, nee Willis, age 73 of Watertown passed away on April 27th, 2021 unexpectedly of natural causes in her beloved home.

A Connecticut native, Peg has been a beloved and respected member of the Watertown community for almost 40 years. Peg served in the U.S. Postal Service for 35 years, including as Postmaster for Watertown for 21 of those years. She then transitioned into local real estate with West View Properties for the last 18 years.

In addition to working locally, Peg has spent her adult life giving to her community, serving on the Water/Oak Chamber of Commerce, the Watertown Commission on Aging, the Watertown Rotary Club, the Watertown Foundation, and as a Justice of the Peace among other passions. Peg was a trailblazer, named the first woman president of the Watertown Rotary in 1997 and was the first woman to receive a Paul Harris Fellowship Award from the Watertown Club.

Outside of professional and community work, Peg was an avid animal lover and equestrian. She could often be found tending to her garden or in the kitchen where she loved to cook. She shared her love of flora and fauna with her grandchildren whom she cherished. Peg was a warm and magnetic personality, drawing in everyone she met, a mother eternal. Her tenacity and passion were infectious, and all those who knew her will carry her kindness and loving strength with them though she is no longer physically with us. Her selflessness remains even in death, as her generosity has given others the gifts of sight and tissue reconstruction.

Peg was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers Dwight and Orrin, and leaves behind her husband Henry, her brother Frankie, two children Jeffrey and Jessica, two step-sons Henry and Daniel, and 5 beloved grandchildren (Hunter, Sawyer, Porter, Elizabeth, and Nathaniel).

Calling hours will be from 1 – 3 PM and 5 – 7 PM on Monday, May 3 at Hickcox Funeral Home in Watertown. An outdoor socially distanced funeral service to honor Peg’s life will be held on Tuesday, May 4 from 12 – 1 at Evergreen Cemetery in Watertown. Masks are appreciated by the family. In her memory, please consider becoming an organ donor. In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations in her name be made to the Watertown Foundation or the Watertown Rotary Club.