After a long and wonderful life, Peggy Ruth (Owen) Hahn, 91, of Frederick County, Virginia passed away Friday, July 31, 2020. Peggy was born in 1929 in St. Paul, Virginia, daughter of the late Ruth and John Owen, the youngest of four sisters and a brother. Peggy was a woman before her time – an adventurous traveler and a career woman. She will be remembered for her sparkling smile, great sense of style, and a contagious love of life that she shared with everyone she met.

Peggy was proud of her southwest Virginia roots and enjoyed learning and sharing history of the area. Her father was a train engineer for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and instilled in her a life-long enthusiasm for trains. She graduated from William Fleming High School and as a young woman moved to Miami Springs, FL to attend Barry College. There she discovered a love of fashion that led her to New York City where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising. She was a talented seamstress and retained a love of sewing throughout her life. Peggy loved to travel, especially with her sister Menia, who was a Wave in the US Navy and of whom Peggy remained fervently proud throughout her life. She delighted her grandchildren with stories of her trips including visiting Hong Kong and China and going “Dallas to Dulles” on the Concorde Jet.

In 1949, Peggy married Robert Hall Hahn, Sr. in Roanoke, VA; following their wedding, the couple continued to live in New Jersey and work in New York City. A job for her husband at O’Sullivan brought the couple to Winchester, VA in the 1950s. Peggy became a vibrant part of the community in Winchester: she was a dispatcher for the Winchester Volunteer Rescue Squad, a member of Market Street United Methodist Church, was a volunteer WSI swim instructor at the Willow Lawn and Rouss Park swimming pools, as well as an active member of the democratic party. Peggy loved gardening, had an encyclopedic knowledge of plants, and enjoyed being a member of the Glen Burnie Garden Club; she was always willing to share a plant or clipping with anyone who asked. Professionally, Peggy brought her love of fashion to Winchester as the manager of the Fashion Department at Montgomery Ward. Later, she started Peg-Ell School of Modeling with friend Ellie Creamer. She also worked at The Oxford Shop and Fabritek Company, Inc. where she was the Corporate Treasurer and member of the Board well into her retirement. Peggy was a passionate member of the Board of The Handley Regional Library and extremely proud of the construction of the Bowman Library in Stephens City, VA.

Her husband, Robert Hall Hahn, Sr., preceded her in death in 1980. Surviving are her children, Stephanie Vaughan (Ward) of Winchester, Virginia and Rob Hahn (Gail) of Middletown, Virginia; six grandchildren, all of whom she was extremely proud: Matthew Hahn of Cross Junction, Virginia, Lauren Lindsay of Charleston, South Carolina, Mary McCarthy of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Carol Vaughan of Boulder, Colorado, Eva Vaughan of Portland, Oregon, and Robert Vaughan of Lexington, Kentucky; and seven great grandchildren.

Along with her parents and her husband, Mrs. Hahn was preceded in death by a son, John Owen Hahn; sisters, Eva Pressley, Helen Greear, Armenia Owen and brother, John Owen.

A private celebration of life service will be conducted at Shenandoah Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Peggy’s memory to the Handley Regional Library Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 58, Winchester, Virginia 22604.