It is with heavy hearts that the family of Peggy Elsa Ann Dromisky (nee Stenback) announce her peaceful passing on July 17th, 2024. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister, she will always be remembered for her quick wit, infectious smile, and her profound kindness and generosity.
Peggy was born on June 25th, 1936 (a birthday she shared with her husband, Stan) in a small cabin in Flett, Forbes Township (Thunder Bay District). She was the eldest of seven children of Hjalmar (Jan) and Gertrude (Trudy) Stenback. Peggy loved spending her younger years with her grandparents, Elsa and Nester Maki, on their farm in Flett - a time full of adventure and memories she fondly recalled throughout her life. Her Mummu meant the world to her.
Peggy was studious and sharp, winning awards throughout her scholastic career. She graduated from Fort William Collegiate Institute with Honours. Her high school years were filled with various activities and sports. She was a cheerleader, in drama club, played volleyball, basketball, and was President of the Girls Athletic Society. She often spoke fondly of her first job working at the Fort Theatre in Westfort and spending the summer in Niagara Falls working as a ‘Farmerette’ picking fruit. For 3 summers, she was a Playground Supervisor at Tarbutt Park, for the last summer, Peggy was appointed Head Supervisor for all the city parks.
When she was 18, Peggy met the love of her life, Stan Dromisky. Peggy and Stan were married on May 19th, 1956, and enjoyed 67 wonderful years together. This vibrant duo enjoyed exploring the globe, pursuing their love of the arts, and raising their family. Like her husband, Peggy was a passionate educator. She received her Ontario Teaching Certificate from London Normal School in 1955 where she met Stan. From there, she began teaching for the Fort William Board of Education at Isabella School. In 1972, both moved with their two daughters, Jan and Susan, to Gainesville, Florida, so Stan could complete his Ph.D., before permanently returning to Thunder Bay in 1974. On return, Peggy accepted a position at McKellar Park Central School which involved setting up and running a new library as a Teacher-Librarian and also being the Special Education Resource Teacher for many years. This provided Peggy with great personal satisfaction for it allowed her to assist exceptional children to experience success, grow in confidence and enjoy learning. She was also a Founding member of the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities and an active member and past President of the Fort William Kinette Club. With a life of accomplishments and involvement, Peggy’s CV was impressive to say the least.
A lifelong learner, she received her Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, and Special Education Specialist Designation from Lakehead University in 1978. She was active for many years with the Federation of Women Teachers of Ontario and was awarded a life membership in her professional organization. Peggy was elected President of the Lakehead Women Teachers Association and was a Silver Sister of the Teachers’ Sorority Alpha Delta Kappa.
Upon retirement, Peggy accompanied Stan to Ottawa for his three terms as Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Atikokan. She served on the Executives of both the National Parliamentary Spouses and Liberal Parliamentary Spouses Associations. She thoroughly enjoyed these experiences, as well as interacting with a variety of people from all over the world.
In addition to her many memberships and community involvement, Peggy had a plethora of talents and interests: art collection, world travel, cooking with Stan, painting, crocheting, cross-stitching, reading, and enjoying summer after summer at Two Island Lake, which was their paradise. She loved playing dice games and Upwords with her cherished sisters which was the source of endless laughter and joy. She played Bridge with the same group of friends for over 50 years and the Bridge Club enjoyed their annual trip to Duluth each September for over 30 of those. She quietly indulged and supported countless people and organizations throughout her life with unyielding devotion and generosity. Above all, she adored spending time with her beloved family.
Peggy will be forever loved and missed by daughters Jan Lynne and Susan; her grandchildren Michael Dromisky, Myra Dromisky-Perron (Denis), Keenan Smith (Katie), Jessica Dromisky and Jarod Farrant; her great-grandchildren Lassia and Aleksia Dromisky-Perron, Kenley, Korbyn and Killian Smith; siblings Shirley Hill (Michael), Beverley Simms (Ted), David Stenback (Eileen), Daniel Stenback, Debra Cancelliere (Edward), as well as her many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents, her life-long love Staush, and her dear sister Gail McEachern.
The family would like to give their most heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Plaza 2 at Pioneer Ridge for providing Peggy with such wonderful care.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, August 20th at the Vickers Heights Community Center at 1695 Broadway Avenue in Thunder Bay at 1:00 pm. Should those desire, contributions to the Dr. Stan Dromisky Memorial Award (soon to be the Dr. Stan and Peggy Dromisky Memorial Award) in Peggy’s honour may be made to Lakehead University. To make a gift online, please visit https://ec.lakeheadu.ca/giving/fund-project, select “Other” and type “Dr. Stan Dromisky Memorial Undergraduate Award” in the comment box. Alternatively, cheques may be mailed with an indication that the donation is for the award in the memo line: c/o External Relations, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 5E1
Condolences may be made through www.nwfainc.com
