Gotch lived in Medford and volunteered with the Visiting Nurses Association of Moorestown.
Margaret Gotch (nee Balderston), 94, of Medford passed away peacefully early in the morning on Monday, Feb. 4. She leaves behind her loving husband of nearly 35 years, William Gotch, son Robert Maxwell Brownell and his wife Tina, son Bart Canby Brownell and his wife Anne, and daughter-in-law Amy Brownell. Margaret, fondly known as Peggy, was predeceased by her first husband Kenneth J. Brownell, brother George Balderston and her oldest son Eric Kennedy Brownell. She was the proud grandparent of seven accomplished adult grandchildren: Kenneth, Mathew, Bart Jr., Margaret Ellen, Rose, Alice and Leigh.
Peggy was born July 21, 1924, in West Chester, Pa., later graduating from Upper Darby High School in 1942. At her graduation ceremony at the Tower Theatre, she was presented with “The Alumni Medal,” the highest award made to a graduating student. As an excellent student, she won a four-year scholarship to the Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University) in Philadelphia. She majored in business administration and also played varsity basketball, field hockey and tennis. After graduating magna cum laude from Drexel, Peggy secured a position at the Strawbridge and Clothier department store in Philadelphia, where she met her husband-to-be Kenneth Brownell. They were married in September 1949 in the Presbyterian Church in West Chester. Peggy remarried in February 1984 to William Gotch in the First Presbyterian Church in Moorestown.
Throughout her life, Peggy was renowned for her entertaining skills, her large holiday gatherings and her great love of family and friends. Wherever she lived, whether in Malvern, Pa, Moorestown or in her summer house at the beach, in Cape May Point, she was a warm and welcoming hostess with a knack for making everyone feel at home.
Peggy was a faithful and active member of the Presbyterian Church, serving in many leadership capacities. She volunteered with the Visiting Nurses Association of Moorestown. Since 1973, she was a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an international philanthropic organization dedicated to providing enhanced educational opportunities for female students worldwide. Peggy served three terms as president and once as Parliamentarian of the P.E.O. AF/NJ chapter. Peggy was extremely proud of her family’s ability to trace its lineage back to the American Revolution’s flag seamstress Betsy Ross.
