Our beloved Wife and Mother, Margaret (Peggy) Mary Bohm died peacefully in her home Mar 23, 2022 with family by her side. She was 82 years old. Peggy was born in Berkeley California to Andrew and Elizabeth (Betty) Biasotti. She attended The School of the Madeleine in Berkeley followed by Presentation High School in Berkeley. She attended UC Berkeley for her bachelor’s degree and this is also where she met her husband Jerry. After graduating college, Peggy began her teaching career in elementary school and by the time she retired she had taught in elementary, middle and high school both as a classroom teacher and special ed aide then later a resource teacher. Her passion was working with the kids who were struggling and were often labeled “difficult”. Middle School was her favorite place for this. Long before the term “growth mindset” became popular she always emphasized positive reinforcement, mutual respect and saw the good in everyone. Because of this passion for helping others, at 50 she went back to CSU Hayward and earned her Master’s degree and then obtained certification as a Marriage and Family counselor. While she decided not to pursue this new career she used the tools and skills she learned to better help the kids she loved. Although she was introverted she never backed down from an opportunity to stand up for her students welfare even if it meant being at odds with the administration or having difficult discussions with families in order to support her kids. Even after retirement up until a few years ago she was still substituting and working in the schools.
While she had passion as an educator her real passion was her family. She was the center of the extended family-having the holidays at her house, going to plays and symphonies and arranging for camping trips with her sister’s family and making sure her children/nieces/nephews and later grand nieces/nephews/grandchildren had a place to gather to stay connected by hosting a christmas ornament making party each year. She was the keeper and maker of traditions that kept the family close. Again way before their time, Peggy and Jerry had a marriage built on equality and mutual respect and deep love and commitment. Although they were very different from each other: introvert/extrovert, organized/disorganized, planner/spontaneous they never tried to change each other, they truly practiced acceptance and love daily and found activities of mutual joy to share together. She taught by example and we were all deeply influenced by her as a role model in how to treat people both by respecting yourself and others.
Besides family she valued her friendships from her childhood, former colleagues, neighbors, bowling league, ADK (retired teacher sorority) and Weight Watchers.
The last few years Peggy had many health related obstacles: Severe back pain from spinal stenosis, diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia/Parkinsonism, severe knee pain and replacement, and most recently just prior to this last Christmas she had a heart attack, new diagnosis of Congestive Heart Failure and Afib, and finally just a few weeks ago had a couple small strokes, and two falls and a subdural hematoma. Some could wonder if her last years were spent suffering. But that was not Peggy. She met each of the above challenges the same way she lived her entire life: with acceptance and a positive can-do attitude and a desire to remain independent. She went to physical therapy many times to regain her function, she had procedures that eliminated all her back and knee pain, and she was curious and very engaged in understanding her mental decline and was able to regain most of her mental faculties with very mild cognitive impairment. Each setback was followed by a recovery and moments of joy. She truly appreciated big things like attending two high school graduations and grand-niece's wedding, baseball games, and small everyday things like playing cards with family, Saturday family dinners, backyard bbqs, sitting outside for lunch or going on walks. Jerry and Peggy both loved ballroom dancing and danced in a lot of famous ballrooms. In fact they had their final dance about 6 months ago on a boat at their grand-niece's wedding. Jerry remembers, “Peggy climbed lots of stairs to the second deck with very little help. Later by amazing luck the music changed from dull thumping to a Frank Sinatra song we had danced to many times when we were first married and Peggy surprised everyone by dancing with me one last time.”
She was able to make all her own decisions on healthcare and her life until the last day and spent her last weeks surrounded (in person and on phone) by family and friends. In her final days she particularly enjoyed eating homemade cookies from her very close friend, Vera and Peggy’s own custard recipe made by her grandson, Arman.
Peggy is survived by her husband of 59 years, Jerry Bohm, Children, David Bohm, Tamara Aksu and Greg Bohm, her grandchildren Nilcholas Bohm, Alara Aksu, Michael Bohm, Arman Aksu and her Daughter-in-laws, Mami Bohm, Nino Tedeeva and Cathy Kawamoto and her son-in-law Utku Aksu. Her sisters, Cecelia Montgomery, Andrea Neeley and Anita Elam and niece Karen Montgomery and nephew Clark Neely and grandnieces/nephews Patty Pickering, David Fergeson, Bridgette Neeley, Natalie Neeley, Sophia Neeley, and cousins and relatives.
Family and friends are invited to a memorial service and interment that will be held on Monday April 11, 2022 at 11:00 am at the Chapel at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, 1965 Reliez Valley Road, Lafayette, CA 94549.
A reception with lunch will be held immediately following the service at the same location. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Rio Vista Elementary School by sending cash or a check to Rio Vista Elementary School 611 Pacifica Ave, Bay Point CA 94565.
