It is with sadness the family announces the passing of Margaret A. “Peggy” Gagnon, 78, of Woonsocket. She passed away peacefully Monday April 27, 2026 at Hope Hospice Care Center in Providence. With family by her side.
Peggy passed after a courageous battle with cancer. Peggy, like the champion she was, fought cancer 3 times, kept it at bay, and lived each and every day to the fullest. Peggy was the loving wife of Donald L. “Don” Gagnon. They were married on September 11, 1971, in Merrimac, New Hampshire.
Born and raised in Lowell, MA, and known to all since childhood as Peggy, she was a daughter of the late Owen and Margaret (Mitchell) McCaffrey. She was a graduate of Keith Hall Academy in Lowell. She went on to earn her degree in radiography from Northeastern University and trained at St. John’s Hospital where she worked for several years.
Following her marriage to Donald, the couple moved to Woonsocket where she has remained a lifelong resident. Using her education and experience she took a position in the private practice of Dr. Brouchu and Dr. Lamoureux for many years and then she worked with Dr. Carl DiRobbio, an orthopedist, for 26 years before retiring. For many years Peggy served on the Executive Board of the Ballou Home for the Aged.
In her younger days she was very active in the parish of St. Agatha’s as a CCD teacher and in later years was active with St. Agatha Seniors group. She enjoyed bowling with friends in a league at Walnut Hill bowling lanes.
Peggy loved to travel, especially trips to her ancestral homeland of Ireland where she connected with her Irish heritage. Peggy and Don went on many memorable sunshine-filled cruises with family and friends. Closer to home Peggy liked to spend her quiet time engrossed with a good book and was always up for a competitive game of Scrabble.
Peggy will be remembered for her outgoing and friendly persona. True to her Irish charm she never met a stranger and was noted for her own special sense of humor and wit, that no doubt having come down from her forbearers from the Emerald Isle. Peggy was an especially kind-hearted person as she made it special point to give flowers to those she met in her day-to-day life just to brighten their day.
Everyone leaves a legacy. Peggy’s legacy is one of warmth, compassion, kindness and unwavering support. Family and friends will remember the laughter shared, the wisdom given and the unconditional love that defined her relationships. Her family hopes, and deep down they know, that Peggy’s memory will be a blessing to all who were blessed to have known and loved her.
Peggy is survived by her husband of 55 years Don and their daughter Erin K. Gagnon and her wife Ruth Gorham of Foster. Peggy loved Don, Erin and Ruth with all her heart and then some!
Peggy is predeceased by her parents Owen and Margaret (Mitchell) McCaffrey, her sister Elizabeth Pelletier and her late husband Richard Pelletier, Dorothy McCaffrey, Nancy McCaffrey Gitschier and brother Raymond McCaffrey.
She is also survived by her sister-in-law Sherry Gagnon, Hudson and her husband David and niece Sarah of South Carolina. Nephew Rick and Kathy Pelletier and niece Lisa and Mark Fulling of Merrimac, NH, great-nieces Stephanie and Emily Pelletier, great- nephews David Fulling, great-nephew Stephen and Nadine Fulling and great-great niece Leila and great-great nephew Jack.
Everyone is invited to gather to honor and remember Peggy during visiting hours and a memorial service to celebrate her life, and the positive impact she had on all those around her, on Saturday May 9, 2026 from 2:00-6:00 pm at Menard-Lacouture Funeral Home, 127 Carrington Ave. Woonsocket.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donation to the Shriners Children’s Hospital at www.shrinerschildrens.org or Hope Hospice Care 1085 North Main St. Providence, RI. 02904 or www.hopehealthco.org.
www.menardfuneralhome.com