After a vaillant seven year journey with metastasized breast cancer, former Juneau resident, Margaret Ann “Peg” Gwyther, passed away on April 21, 2022, surrounded by family in Eugene, Oregon. She was 71 years old.

Peg was born on May 16, 1950, the third of four children and the middle daughter to Harold Wesley and Margaret Jean (Bell) Gwyther, in Richmond, CA. At the tender age of 15 months the family moved permanently to Portland, Oregon where Peg attended Earl Boyles Primary School and Gilbert Elementary School and spent her time playing the double bass and every sport imaginable.

In 1964 Peg entered David Douglas High School where she excelled academically, was elected President of Girls League, and pursued her love of sports. A born teacher and coach, her first pupil was little sister, Diane, to whom she passed on her skills and knowledge in swimming, track and field, and pretty much every sport involving a ball.

In 1968 Peg graduated from high school and continued her studies at Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University) where she set her sights on a physical education degree and played on the volleyball, field hockey and softball teams until graduating in 1972.

Upon entering the workforce, Peg worked at several jobs, including one memorable position at the Oregon State Mental Hospital, while continuing to look for that elusive teaching opportunity. It was her big brother, Dennis, who finally offered a helping hand and ultimately set her course by encouraging Peg to move to Alaska. She made the leap and landed in Juneau in February 1976.

Peg initially taught Physical Education at Glacier Valley Elementary School and coached the sixth grade boy’s and a girl’s Parks and Recreation basketball teams. She officiated too many community basketball games to count and became the first female referee to officiate a varsity boy’s basketball game at Juneau-Douglas High School. Throughout her years in Juneau, Peg continued to coach multiple teams in multiple sports both in the schools and in the community and was a tremendous influence on a huge population of Juneau youth. Peg coached both the Juneau-Douglas Girls Varsity Volleyball and Basketball teams, taking both of those teams to the State tournament multiple times. In 1983, she was the first coach to win the Girl’s Basketball State tournament for Juneau-Douglas High School and all of Southeast Alaska. That same year, Peg was named Alaska Coach of the Year. Peg remained a friend and mentor to many of her players throughout her lifetime.

Peg went on to get her Masters in Computer Technology and her Administrator Certificate, becoming the Vice Principal and Athletic Director at Juneau-Douglas High School. It was a position she tackled like most endeavors she undertook but ultimately Peg realized her strengths were firmly ensconced in the desire to uplift and empower her students as opposed to punishing them.

Peg’s wide-range of experiences in teaching, coaching, and education administration were the basis for her intense interest in children’s literacy and learning as well as the professional development of teachers. A short sabbatical in the mid-1980’s had her return to Juneau to establish the school district’s Reading Recovery program. She took that program to numerous communities throughout the state, training and mentoring teachers in Reading Recovery techniques and strategies. Many Juneau School District students learned to read as a direct result of Peg’s vision, efforts and dedication to the program, the teachers and the students. Her final years of teaching were spent in Barrow, Alaska, implementing a Reading Recovery Program for the North Slope Borough School District.

Upon retirement, Peg headed to the Ohio State University where she enrolled in a PhD program. She established the Alaska Distance Delivery pilot project in collaboration with the Ohio State University for training Reading Recovery teachers in villages and communities across the state of Alaska and above the Arctic Circle. Peg’s expertise turned her into a national literacy consultant and coach. She facilitated adult learning through ongoing professional development and coaching. She was a keynote presenter at local, state, regional, national, and international conferences focusing on literacy, Reading Recovery, and distance delivery technology and she consulted with universities, schools, and school districts throughout the country to provide ongoing assistance in improving literacy instruction and children’s learning. She spent eight years training coaches through Literacy Collaborative at the Ohio State University and Purdue University.

These experiences provide a strong base for understanding how schools work, how teachers develop, and how children learn. This expertise culminated in the writing of a book entitled Building Bridges From Early to Intermediate Literacy with Sarah F. Mahurt and Ruth E. Metcalfe.

Peg spent her final years living in Eugene, Oregon where she enjoyed swimming multiple times a week, riding her three-wheeled bike, socializing with numerous friends, hosting family and friend visits and taking trips to the beach with her older sister, Linda. Her greatest joys were undoubtedly her great-nieces Blaike and Reece and her great-nephew, Rafe. She delighted in any opportunity to spend time with them.

Peg was preceded in death by her parents, Harold Wesley Gwyther and Margaret Jean (Bell) Gwyther and her brother, Dennis Harold Gwyther. Peg is survived by her sisters, Linda Jean Gwyther and Diane Weslyn Gwyther; sister-in-law, Julieann Bishop Gwyther Egolf; niece Kimberley Gwyther King and husband Eric; nephew Mark L. Gwyther and wife Thao; niece Teresa Newcomb Bleakley and husband Keith; great-niece Blaike Amanda King and fiance, Ben Hammond; great-nephew, Rafferty Tate King; and great-niece, Reece Elizabeth Bleakley.

A celebration of life is scheduled for April 21, 2023 in Eugene, Oregon. For additional and up-to-date information, you may visit her memorial website for more details as they become available. There are no plans for a Juneau celebration but you may contact the family through Peg’s niece, Teresa Bleakley, via mail at 8923 Sleepy Court, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

Peg was a staunch proponent of personal choice and lived her life accordingly, until the very end and as such, she was a long-time and ardent supporter of Planned Parenthood. Additionally, she generously donated to Oregon Public Broadcasting and in her final weeks, received loving care from Sacred Heart Hospice in Eugene, Oregon. In lieu of flowers, we invite you to make a donation in her name to one of these amazing organizations.

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