July 15, 1928—December 31, 2024

With sad hearts we announce the death of Peg Anderson who died peacefully at home in Tucson on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

All are invited to the requiem at 11:00am on Thursday, January 16, at Saint Philip’s, as well as the reception that will follow in the Murphey Gallery.

O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our prayers on behalf of your servant Peg, and grant her an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer, Burial of the Dead, Rite II

Margaret “Peg” Stair Anderson, 96, of Tucson, Arizona, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2024. She is grieved deeply by her adoring family and her innumerable friends. Although her body failed her, her probing mind and personal presence shone brightly to the end. Her life was fueled by a passion for public policy and activism—in her neighborhood and faith communities, at the city and statewide level, and even, for a time, on the national stage.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Karl Clifton Anderson. She is survived by her daughters, Helen Christine Gettle (Doug) and Margaret Babcock (Chuck); sons, Karl Bowen (Peggy Nelson) and Kurt (Dale LaFleur); grandchildren, Morgan, Colin and Noah Gettle, Jacob and Christopher Babcock, Eric and Evan Anderson, and Henry and Ada Anderson; and five great-grandchildren.

Peg was born in Chicago in 1928 to Henry Bowen and Helen (Callsen) Stair. In 1950 she graduated from Smith College with a degree in government and married Karl, who had just begun work as an engineer for John Deere. This work brought them to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where they primarily lived and raised their family. There were interruptions, first for the Korean War, and then a two-year stint in Mannheim, Germany where Karl helped establish a John Deere factory.

But it was in Iowa that Peg began her community and political involvement in 1969 with a job as the Urban Ministry Director for the Diocese of the Episcopal Church. She facilitated the creation of a large low-income housing project in Waterloo, Iowa, and it was this work for the underprivileged minority community that raised her awareness of the difficulties and inequities that are uniquely borne by women. She responded by first becoming deeply involved in church policy debates and advocating for the ordination of women as a delegate at the Episcopal Church National Convention.

When she realized that there were no women on the Cedar Falls School Board, she campaigned for a seat that opened in 1971 and beat a board-endorsed incumbent. She then became involved in the National Women’s Political Caucus, attending her first national convention in 1974, and becoming chair of the Iowa chapter in 1975. In this capacity, she recruited candidates and coordinated campaigns for women in local and state political offices. The Equal Rights Amendment to the US constitution was also being hotly debated at this time.

To help in all these efforts she brought political and cultural icons to the state, such as Gloria Steinem, Rosalynn Carter, Billie Jean King, and Erma Bombeck. And Peg herself faced off against a celebrity in the opposition when, in 1980, she appeared in a one-on-one televised debate with Phyllis Schlafly, the woman most closely associated with the national campaign opposing the ERA.

In 1981, the governor of Iowa appointed Peg to the Board of Regents for the state university system. She used her position for many initiatives including the Way Up Conference for Women that helped facilitate the hiring of women in higher education administration. In 1987 Peg and Karl retired to Tucson, Arizona. While she scaled back her political activity, she continued her church and community involvement. She served on the vestry of St. Philips in the Hills Episcopal Church and on the Board of the National Executive Committee of the Episcopal Church.

She was a volunteer naturalist at Sabino Canyon and active in the Smith College Club of Tucson. Until he passed in 2005, Karl and Peg traveled extensively and hiked in the local mountains. Her passion for nature was matched by sports and grandchildren. For the grandchildren in town, she never missed a soccer game or track meet. And she loved to bring them to the University of Arizona women’s softball games, for which she held season tickets.

Her family was close, and she organized several family reunion cruises that brought her far-flung children and grandchildren together. Her friendships were strong. She was the go-to person in her neighborhood long after she stopped serving as president of the HOA. Even up to her last days, her townhouse was the focus of almost daily gatherings of her many devoted neighborhood friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Saint Philip’s in the Hills Church. Donations made “In memory of Peg Anderson” will go to the Outreach Ministries fund.