Peggy’s Memorial Service
Saturday, April 17th, 2010, 2:00PM
Pilgrim Congregational Church
600 N. Garey Ave.
Pomona, CA
Flowers can be sent to the church address above.
Contributions can be made in Peggy’s name to:
OCHSA (Orange County High School of the Arts) Foundation
1010 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Peggy G. Sturgis, teacher, volunteer, active church member
Peggy Sturgis, a teacher and longtime Claremont/Upland resident, died at the age of 48 on April 2, 2010 at her Upland home, surrounded by family and friends. She had been battling cancer for nearly 2 years.
As written by a friend, “Peggy is now dancing on streets of gold.”
Born Margaret Bard Gambill on May 29, 1961 in Pasadena, in 1966 her family moved to Claremont where she graduated from Foothill Country Day School and Claremont High School.
Following high school, she studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1983. She then attended Cal Poly Pomona and earned a lifetime teaching credential. She launched her teaching career with her first full-time position at Oak Tree Day School in Pomona.
In 1986, she met Steve Sturgis, another longtime Claremont resident, and they married on July 18, 1987 in Pilgrim Congregational Church, Pomona. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Upland and started a family. While raising their children, Mrs. Sturgis taught the GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program on part-time basis in the Upland Unified School District. In 2005, she returned to full-time teaching at Sierra Vista Elementary School in Upland, remaining there until her medical leave in 2009. Mrs. Sturgis enjoyed teaching and positively touched the lives of many of her students, her family shared.
Beyond her professional life and motherhood, Mrs. Sturgis volunteered for Alternate Avenues, a local crisis pregnancy center. Since 1990, she and her family have attended Life Bible Fellowship Church in Upland, where she served in a number of ministries over the years. Mrs. Sturgis loved spending time with her children and supporting their personal endeavors, and rarely missed a performance of The LCR Band or The Dogs, the bands in which her husband plays. She enjoyed helping others, and was eager to lend an ear, emotional support or a helping hand.
Mrs. Sturgis is survived by her husband, Steve Sturgis; her children, Brittany Sturgis Vojak and Sarah, Matthew and Michael Sturgis; her parents, Phyllis and Denny Gambill of Claremont; her sister and brother-in-law, Patty and Robert Fakinos and their 2 children, Alexandra and Anna of Colorado; and by her father-in-law, 4 brothers-in-law, 3 sisters-in-law and 17 nieces and nephews on the Sturgis side of her family.
A memorial service celebrating Mrs. Sturgis’ life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 600 N. Garey Ave., Pomona.
Memorial donations may be made to the Orange County High School of the Arts Foundation (OCHSA Foundation), 1010 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92701.
There’s no good way to start this letter. We just got back from the oncologist’s office and the PETScan shows that my turmors are growing. I’m stunned. I don’t know how to feel or what to do. I know that when I had prayer done over me, something divine took place. But whatever it was, it sure didn’t show up on this PETScan. So, for now, I dont know what to do except cling to faith. THAT’S ALL I GOT!
Please continue praying that God would remove these tumorsl I want to LIVE!
Well, yesterday I had my PETScan. The nurse was able to get my I.V. into a “hand-vein” on the first try!!! Thank you, God. That hasn’t happened in over a year…………. proof that healing is taking place in this body. I will get the results on Tuesday, the 15th, at around noon, and look forward to seeing Dr. Bosserman’s puzzled face when she tells me that my scan showed less or NO cancer in me! Please pray for peace as we wait for that appointment.