An Islington family is “broken” after the death of its “queen” – who left behind 101 children and grandchildren.
Margaret “Peggy” Liddiard died at the age of 89 on Thursday.
Peggy, of Surr Street, Holloway, leaves an incredible four generations of family: nine children, 31 grandchildren, 58 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren. And the majority are still in Islington.
Jacqui Barrett, 28, one of Peggy’s 31 grandchildren, told the Gazette: “She was adored – our queen. She was the head of the family, the glue that kept everything together.
“I remember in 2002, she wanted to get literally the whole family together for Christmas. She hired out the Drovers Centre [in nearby North Road] and it was an amazing scene of 70 people in the hall. We popped up a Christmas tree, got Santa costumes and she led the cooking in the kitchen.”
Born in Tottenham, Peggy moved to Avenell Road, Highbury, in 1950 – and remained in Islington for the rest of her life. A cleaner, she worked on the railways where she met husband Bill, who died in 1986.
In her retirement, Peggy dedicated her life to volunteering in her community: running bingo sessions for the elderly in the Drovers Centre and drama classes in the Goodinge Community Centre, also in North Road.
Claire Barrett, 33, of Pilgrim’s Way, Hornsey Rise, added: “She was fun loving, fearless and had great community spirit. She always had a motherly nature, so looking after people came naturally to her.
“Even until her last moments, she had a real Cockney spirit. She was a huge Spurs fan, loved her pie and mash, travelled the world and was very opinionated – but never offensive.
“She was particularly elated when her great great grandchildren were born. People don’t believe how big our family is. I’ll be doing shopping around Nag’s Head in Holloway and bump into a relative every 10 seconds.”
She added: “There are no words to describe how we have been feeling since Thursday. As a family, we feel broken but we are celebrating her amazing life.”
A funeral at Edmonton Cemetery will take place on either January 20 or 23.
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