Obituary: Margaret Ann "Peggy" Hock Ingraham

Our strong, beloved Margaret Ann “Peggy’’ Hock Ingraham — career educator, talented weaver, engaging raconteur, avid bridge player, gleeful tease and world-traveling Flagstaff native — died peacefully on April 18at Via Elegante/Foothills, her home since 2021.

Peggy inspired a multi-generational legion of devoted friends who, with her loved ones, had hoped to celebrate her 100th birthday June 22.

Peggy and younger brother Richard John Hock grew up in Williams; she was the first child of Marie Taylor Hock and Remigius “Peaches’’ Hock, a Ford dealer and Williams mayor.

At the University of Arizona, Peggy earned a BA in Education and reigned as Desert Queen. One of several Peggys at the Chi Omega sorority house, she went by “George.’’

Tall and elegant, Peggy worked as a womenswear buyer for a major Los Angeles department store. She married Louis Frank Gallina but returned to Arizona with sons Louis John Hock and Paul Wesley Hock in the 1950s.

Her teaching career began in Nogales, where her mother’s extended family lived. She then taught third grade at Duffy Elementary School, earned a master’s degree at U of A and became Borton Elementary School’s principal.

She quelled playground fights with firmness and common sense. She told students, “You don’t have to like each other but you have to respect each other.’’

She made a positive and lasting impact on the Borton school community. At the end of her career, she served as Tucson Unified School District’s Assistant Director of Chapter 1 Federal Programs.

Peggy belonged to Delta Kappa Gamma, the honorary education society, and regularly socialized with fellow Tucson principals after retirement.

In 1976, she married high-school sweetheart Richard Ingraham. Their love story continued until his 2006 death.

She volunteered at the UN Center and at the Southern Arizona Association for the Visually Impaired. A Tucson Handweavers and Spinners Guild member, Peggy created stunning, unique garments and traveled internationally to experience the craft in other cultures.

In 2005, her name was inscribed in the U of A’s "Women's Plaza of Honor," alongside several maternal relatives. In addition to Louis (Lana Z Caplan) and Paul (Randi Kolender Hock), all of San Diego, grandchildren Samuel Hock, Taylor Hock, Kendall Hock and their families, survive.

Loved ones plan to scatter Peggy’s and Richard’s ashes on a mountain top outside Williams. The family thanks caregiver Margaret Odem for her kindness and friendship.