Margaret "Peggy" Parnell Keenan (Lougheed)

Margaret “Peggy” Parnell Keenan (Lougheed) passed away peacefully in her sleep Jan. 28, 2023. She was 89.

From a young age Peg had an adventurous spirit that permeated throughout her life. That, coupled with her career as a social worker, gave her a unique perspective on a purposeful life. She was caring and compassionate, fun-loving and joyful, but most of all loving.

She was born in in 1933 in Ketchikan, Alaska to William and Lulu Parnell and big sister Meryl. Her father, William Parnell, a shipbuilder, died when she was very young and her mother, Lulu, a schoolteacher, later married Frank Capp. Her family moved to Bremerton where she and her sister Meryl grew up on Phinney Bay.

After graduating from Bremerton High School in 1952, Peggy attended Washington State University where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. After graduating from WSU, she moved to California for an adventure with some of her sorority sisters. While there, she attended UCLA for her Masters in Social Work (MSW). In California Peggy met and married James Keenan and had two children, Kelly and Kathleen. Jim had three kids from his first marriage, Vicki, Jim, and Cindy.

She and the family moved home to Bremerton and bought the family home on Phinney Bay. Throughout her professional career she worked as a social worker, many years working with children. Peggy continued her education at Seattle University where she became a certified counselor in alcohol and drug abuse related studies, which furthered her life in service of others. Peggy worked for many years as a drug and alcohol counselor at PSNS before retiring.

After many years, Peg and Jim Keenan went their separate ways. Peggy stayed active in the community and became involved in many groups, such as the ski bus and Elks travel group. She met her longtime travel partner Jim Brooks. Together, they went on many travel adventures in their RV throughout the U.S. with memorable trips to Alaska, the south, and many national parks. After Jim passed, Peggy continued to travel in her RV and found happiness in Palm Springs where she bought a place at the Royal Palms in Cathedral City. Within a very short time, she fell head over heels for widower Mike Lougheed from Bremerton. Shortly thereafter, Peggy married Mike where she gained a whole new and wonderful family. While their time together was shortened by her illness, Mike and Peggy enjoyed many years of travel and community with their travel and fun group, Fast Track group, spending time with family and friends, playing cards, enjoying her retirement community with the Elks, and many family meals at Spiro’s in Port Orchard.

Throughout her life Peggy was the consummate free spirit. Dancing was one of her greatest passions. She took up line dancing, loved it and became a dedicated teacher. When she could no longer teach line dancing, she taught others how to teach it and passed the torch. She also loved to travel. Some of her fondest trips included a backpacking trip to Europe and taking cruise ships to Mexico. Cabo San Lucas was one of her favorite destinations.

While her children were young, she was the Director of the Bremerton Camp Fire Girls. She taught her children (and the neighborhood kids) to water ski on Phinney Bay. She taught them to snow ski, coached softball, taught disco dancing and volleyball at Olympic College, and volunteered as a cheerleading coach.

Throughout her life she stayed in touch with a great group of her college sorority sisters, and they got together for years.
She and a group of her Bremerton High School friends met for a “girls weekend” every year for much of their lives. Peggy was a lifelong Coug and loved her time in Pullman. She followed and cheered on her Cougs wherever she traveled.

Along with line dancing, her hobbies were vast. She was an accomplished seamstress, knitter and jewelry maker. She took up wood carving and she loved to camp. She was a lifetime skier, from the “old” days of carrying her skis up the hill, to countless ski trips as well as taking the Wednesday ski bus. She loved to dance, was an avid gardener, and she learned to sail which included a sailing trip where she helped crew a large sailboat to San Diego.

Throughout her life Peggy was a spiritual person. She was a long-time member of the Methodist Church on Marine Drive, then a member of the Unity Church. She loved her church in Desert Hot Springs and during Covid was a devoted online parishioner. She had a strong faith and believed in a loving God.

A devoted wife, loving mother and doting grandmother, she was preceded in death by her mother, father and stepfather (Lulu Norton Capp, William Parnell, and Frank Capp), and her brother-in-law (Don Thulean). She is survived by her beloved husband Mike, her beloved sister Meryl Thulean, her children whom she loved deeply, Kelly (Jennifer) and Kathy (Jack), grandchildren Lachlan and Siobhan, Gracie and Lilly, her stepchildren who loved and cared for her, Michelle, Bill (Kathy) and Wendy Lougheed, Jim Keenan, Vicki Di Prima, and Cindy Lowe, and her nieces and nephews, Dorcas, Mark and Bill.

As friends and family reflect on a life well-lived, Peggy will be missed sorely but her spirit will live forever in the people she met and the family she adored, and those who adored her equally.

A funeral service and celebration of life is planned in April.