Margaret "Peggy" Waters

December 16, 1929 - October 31, 2020

To virtually attend the visitation for Margaret on Friday November 6th from 4pm-8pm please click the following link- https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/78811491 Waters, Margaret Mary O'Carroll ("Peggy"), age 90, died peacefully in the Bronx October 31, 2020 with her family by her side. Born in the Bronx December 16, 1929 to Maurice O'Carroll (Knockanure, Co. Kerry) and Christine Buckley (Cork). Beloved wife of the late Michael FX Waters, Peggy is survived by their 8 children: Mary, Michael, Anne, Elizabeth, Tom, Margaret, John, and Joan; sons and daughters in law: Ric Bayly, MaryKay Bauer, Joel Robbins, Sheila McFadden, Thomas Battle, Katie Hunter, and Pat Cusanelli; 18 grandchildren: Katie, Harry, Maggie, Sullivan, Abbey, Hannah, Brendan, Cecilia, Deirdre, Tim, Lucy, Peter, Fiona, Michael, Nora, Maggie, Emma, and Lizzie; and 2 great-grandchildren: Isaac and Julien. Sister of the late Betty Quinn, Maurice O'Carroll, and Joan Black, also survived by her sister-in-law Jean Waters, many nieces and nephews, as well as cousins in Ireland and New York, Mary O'Carroll and Betsy Manson, and dear friend Mary Kelly. Peggy was a trailblazer, studying at Fordham University at night while finishing her PhD coursework in Education when she met and married Mike Waters. In the next 8-and-ahalf years she had 8 children and in the 9th year, finished her dissertation. RFK spoke at her Fordham graduation and came over to congratulate the mother of 8 who had just received her new PhD. Devoted to her Catholic faith, she fought for Catholic social teachings for racial justice, care for the poor, human rights for all, and a dedication to education. Over 37 years as Professor of Elementary Education at Brooklyn College, CUNY, Peggy trained generations of NYC reading teachers. You couldn't walk a block in NYC with Peggy without former students calling out or stopping traffic to thank her and say how she'd changed their lives. She truly lived a life for others, always heeding Maria Montessori's call to "Follow the child." With her beloved husband, Mike, she raised her large loving family in Flatbush, with some sorrows mixed with more joy and laughter, an oversized St. Bernard, art projects, nature trips, and far too many books. Late in life she rediscovered her gift for painting, with her magical art teacher Hope McAdam. An art show to celebrate her 90th birthday brought all her children and grandchildren, nieces, and nephews together for a grand celebration. Raised a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, Peggy always fought for the underdog. She held herself and others to high standards. Her advice when her kids went out was: "Have fun and be good. And if the two conflict, be good." Peggy lived with joy and gratitude. A model of strength, generosity, and compassion to her children and grandchildren, her family, her thousands of students, her legacy lives on in all those graced with her love. Our thanks to the staffs of Brightview Tarrytown, Victoria Home, and Methodist Home in her beloved Bronx for their kind care for Peggy in her final years. Funeral mass at the Church of the Magdalene, Pocantico Hills, NY and burial in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery will be private, with a larger celebration of her life in 2021 after Covid. A Visitation will be held on Friday November 6th from 4-8pm at Dwyer & Michael's Funeral Home, 90 N. Broadway Tarrytown N.Y. 10591 In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to St. Saviour High School, 588 Sixth St., Brooklyn, NY 11215, (http://www.stsaviour.org/giving) would be appreciated. Requiescat in Pace.