Peggy Ann Carr Clark Boothe was born October 12, 1953, in Salt Lake City. She was
the youngest born to Venice Joel and Audrey Deane Burke Carr. She grew up in Bountiful, UT.
In October of 1954, just
one week after her first birthday, she contracted Spinal Meningitis, and subsequently spent three weeks in a coma. Around
Thanksgiving time, she was well enough to return home. She maintained a temperature of 105 causing damage to her optic nerve,
and was rendered completely blind. She had a normal life, playing "Hide and Seek" with her brother and sister. She was always
"It" and she always found her siblings because she had developed a keen sense of hearing and could hear them snickering.
In
1955 and 1956 she had four separate surgeries, two on each eye to restore her vision. Her vision was partially restored, however
she was legally blind for the rest of her life.
By the time she was 6 she had lost her voice and only had the ability
to whisper. When she was 9, she announced that she wanted to join the glee club. She practiced by going across the street
from her house to the baseball diamond, and try and yell and shout, until a sound finally came forth.
In 1972 she
was married to Gary Lee Clark in Bountiful, UT, and they later had 3 boys, Joel Russell, Scott Weston and Brian Nicholas.
They later divorced in 1986 when their boys were 9, 7 and 6 respectively. After the divorce, despite all the challenges Peggy
faced with her eyesight, she moved to Wendover, Nevada to seek employment. While in Wendover, she met Tom Boothe, and they
married in 1989. They remained in Wendover until 1990 when they moved to Las Vegas together. Tom later passed away in 1993.
Years later, she met August Chrissey. Although they never married, they remained in a loving relationship for the rest of
her life. She worked as a food server at a hotel for 10 years, and an assisted living facility for 5 years.
In 2006
Peggy made the decision to return to Bountiful, UT. While back home, she worked at Life Care Center of Bountiful, an assisted
living facility. During her spare time, she donated her services to the Golden Years Senior Citizen Center, in Bountiful.
On the evening of September 13, 2008, Peggy succumbed to cancer, which she battled for many years.
She is
survived by her partner, August; her three sons, J. Russell, Scott, and Brian Clark; her mother Audrey Carr; her siblings
April, Melody, Valerie, Georgia, Harold and her grandchildren Cannon and Demetri Clark.
For funeral information go
to www.russonmortuary.com
