A beautiful church service was held in Colonsay Parish Church on Thursday, 4^th February, to give thanks for the life of a very special Colonsay lady, Mrs Peggy Clark. It was followed by the funeral, during which her devoted family laid her to rest in Kilchattan Cemetery, next to her husband, Angus, who had passed away in 2009.  There was a wonderful turnout for the much-loved Peggy, which included many of the close family and friends of the Clark clan and her much-adored grandchildren, all of whom called her Granny Peggy. 

Alastair Scouller conducted a service that included several very moving moments; he welcomed us in Peggy’s native tongue, Colonsay Gaelic; the hymns chosen were the same as those sung in the same church in 1960, on the occasion of Angus and Peggy’s wedding; Esme read “My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose” beautifully, then Caitlin and Seumas delighted all present with their rendition of the Skye Boat Song (which Peggy used to sing as a lullaby for her children, Morag, Dugie, Donald and Gavin).

We learnt much about Peggy’s very full life, working in nursing, catering and education in numerous parts of the country, including Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh. Her last port of call was her beloved Isle of Colonsay, on which she had been born. She leaves a tangible legacy behind for us all in the form of The Colonsay Pantry, which she set up with her sister May, in 1988; her loving son, Gavin, now runs it. Many of us remember the welcome that Peggy and Angus would extend when they were in charge of the hotel, from 1974 to 1979. Gavin is keeping up the family tradition of warm hospitality originated by Peggy 28 years ago. We also saw it afterwards in the Village Hall, where we enjoyed a lovely meal, the recipes of which may well have been dreamt up decades ago by herself.

The family would like to express their deep gratitude to all those who helped them in countless kind ways.