Peggy Lynn Koch

Peggy Lynn Koch (McDaniel) passed away on Friday, Sept. 6 at home in the loving arms of her family. She had a rare autoimmune disease (CREST) that ultimately attacked her lungs and heart. Peggy was a loving, patient, and devoted wife to her husband Chris for 51 years. In her over-30-year career in early childhood education, she demonstrated her drive as a business woman and entrepreneur, her compassion toward families in need, and an amazing perceptiveness about what each individual child needed to thrive. She graduated from McClatchy High School in Sacramento, California in 1964, and then went to on UC Davis with the intention of pursuing a degree in pre-med. That quickly changed after she learned about how much development occurs in the first few years of life. She was inspired by professor Emmy Werner, a dynamic professor and advisor to UNICEF, and graduated with a degree in child development in 1968. She was married to her high school sweetheart Chris that same year. Peggy taught at several schools, and then in 1980 she was brave enough to buy a portion of land by the Sacramento Zoo, supervise the construction of a building, and open Park Vista Preschool. For over 20 years she was the administrator of Park Vista, and she was always proud of the integrity of the school and its commitment to the children it served. Peggy loved to watch sports with her father from a young age, and would always do her ironing while watching Sunday football games. In her retirement she became fascinated with genealogy. She was very close to her family and was grateful to spend the last three years of her life in Spokane, Washington, surrounded by the love of her husband, her mother Betty, her daughter Crystal, son-in-law Mike, and two loving grandchildren. She will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.