Margaret M. "Peggy Anne" Newman

Margaret Anne (Peg) Newman passed away peacefully on January 15, 2026, at the St. Joseph Villa in Flourtown. Peg was born in Philadelphia and was the daughter of Loretta Jones. For forty-five years Peg was the wife of William (Bill) Newman. She was the loving mother of Peter and Bill (Melissa) and the loving grandmother of Laila. Peg received a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in computer education from Chestnut Hill College.

Peg loved teaching. She taught for many years, first teaching English and Mathematics at St. Maria Goretti High School in South Philadelphia and then finished her career teaching English at Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem until she retired in 2012. Peg was an avid reader of literature and poetry from Alexander Pope to Agatha Christie to Shakespeare.

Peg lived a full wonderful, happy, and meaningful life as a wife, mother, friend and teacher loved by her family, friends, co-workers and students.

She was a loyal friend of over sixty years to many including Rory Joyce and Peggy Dougherty who shared their memories of Peg. Peg was Rory’s maid of honor at her wedding and godmother to her son, Jeremy. Over the years, although Rory lived in different parts of the country, they would talk almost every Friday night. Rory said that in addition to being a born teacher Peg had a wicked sense of humor and could get a laugh out of almost any situation.

Peggy Dougherty recalls how Peg while at Penn “saved her bacon” by tutoring her, allowing her to get through her trigonometry class. But the thing that Peggy loved and remembered most about Peg was her wonderful sense of humor “She was hilarious! We laughed so much together. . . laughed until our sides ached.”

Fr. Jim McCloskey hired Peg while he was the Principal at Holy Ghost Prep. He recalls that Peg was a gifted educator who was tough in the classroom, an effective and dedicated teacher who demanded a lot but got excellent results.

What he recalled most strongly was Peg’s wry and witty sense of humor. “She could get Fr. Chris laughing so hard that it was infectious. And me! Sometimes, her take on a serious and sometimes painful school matter would lift my spirits and put the issue in its true perspective. She was a model for young teachers and a loyal colleague.”

Friends of Peg are invited to honor her life Saturday, January 31, 2026, starting at 9:00 A.M. followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 A.M. at St. Genevieve Church, 1225 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown, PA 19031.

In lieu of flowers, we suggest donations to St. Joseph Villa, 110 W. Wissahickon Ave., Flourtown, PA 19031