Mrs Margaret Malone West

Margaret Malone West May 11, 1943 — January 30, 2026 Margaret “Peggy” Malone West, beloved wife of nearly 60 years, devoted mother of three sons, and doting grandmother, passed away peacefully Friday, January 30, surrounded by family members at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. Peggy’s first and foremost focus was on her family, but she also embraced her community as a much-loved teacher for 25 years at Brown Memorial Weekday School, as a board member for Calvert School for ten years, and as a volunteer at local organizations, including the Assistance Center of Towson Churches. Peggy was born May 11, 1943, in Memphis, Tennessee, to William Battle Malone II M.D. and Alice Allen Malone. In high school, Peggy attended Hutchison School in Memphis and graduated in 1961 from Principia School in St. Louis. She then went to Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, graduating in 1965. In her junior year she met John Henry West III, known to all as “Butch,” a student at nearby Washington & Lee University. As Peggy recalled it later, she had reluctantly agreed to a friend’s arrangement for a “blind date” at W&L on a weekday evening. When Peggy arrived, the date was a no-show, and Butch, who had already had his eye on Peggy, stepped in. They married on April 30, 1966 and only months later spent almost a year apart while Butch served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. Upon Butch’s return, the couple settled in Lexington, Virginia while Butch attended Washington & Lee University School of Law and Peggy taught art at Lexington High School. They moved to Virginia Beach, where Butch clerked for a federal judge in nearby Norfolk and then settled in Butch’s hometown of Baltimore on Mossway, where they spent twelve wonderful years raising their three sons, John, Jay, and Allen. In 1983, the family moved to Bellemore Road in the Orchards. As their sons finished their education and moved away, the Bellemore Road home became the frequent and happy gathering place for their extended family, including six grandchildren. Peggy and Butch moved to Blakehurst in Towson in 2025. Peggy was a lifelong Christian Scientist and member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Towson for over fifty years, serving in numerous roles, including as First Reader and Sunday school teacher. She loved her book club, playing bridge with friends, and spending hours digging in her garden, cultivating beautiful flowers and plants at her Bellemore Road home. She made hosting family dinners and celebrating holidays appear effortless, and guests felt her welcoming warmth. Peggy loved animals and had numerous dogs, including Sasha, Cinder, Tarby, and Katie, and cats, including Marmalade and Grazer, over the years. “The best remedy for sadness over losing a dog is to get a new puppy,” she used to say. Never a sportswoman, she adopted Butch’s great affection for the Baltimore Orioles, attending spring training in Florida numerous times and countless games at both Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards, and the Colts and Ravens. She loved taking daily walks and took up golf in her 60s to spend more time with Butch. Peggy and Butch owned a house in Amelia Island, Florida for 16 years and hosted many memorable vacations with friends and family and cherished the time with their children and grandchildren there. Peggy loved walking and biking under the canopy of ancient live oaks and on trails through marshes, observing and photographing the many different species of birds, and spending time on the island’s beautiful beaches and golf courses. Peggy also loved to explore the world and took many trips with family and friends, including to Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Galapagos Islands, and Alaska. Peggy remained close to her siblings, Allen Malone, of Memphis, Julia Malone, of Washington, DC, and Avery Kaserman, of Memphis, and their families, as well as numerous cousins, throughout her life. In addition, Peggy was very close to Butch’s sisters, Jay Riggs, of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Mollie Neblett, of Lutherville, Maryland, and Annie West, of Beaufort, South Carolina, and their families. Peggy expressed kindness to everyone that she encountered in every aspect of her life. She had the gift of gentle humor that lifted burdens in the tough times. Her funniest jokes were aimed at herself. She lived a rich life imbued with a spirit of love that will be so missed but that remains a shining example to all who knew her. Peggy was preceded in death by her parents, Battle and Alice Malone, and her brother, Allen Malone. She is survived by her husband, Butch, her son, John, her son, Jay, and his wife, Allison, her son, Allen, and his wife, Paijit, her grandchildren, Taylor, Ella Kate, Cammy, Aunchisa, Mia, and Matthew, her sisters, Julia Malone and Avery Kaserman, and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and godchildren, all of whom Peggy loved dearly. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 14, at Calvert School, in the Middle School auditorium, located at 4300 N. Charles Street. A reception will follow the service at the Elkridge Club, 6100 N. Charles Street. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Peggy’s memory to the Assistance Center of Towson Churches, 116 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Towson, MD 21204, or Calvert School, 105 Tuscany Road, Baltimore, MD 21210.

Mrs Margaret Malone West

May 11, 1943 - January 30, 2026