Margaret “Peggy” (O’Neill) Hallisey, 78, of Rocky Hill, CT, and Eastham, MA, died peacefully with her family by her side on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 surrounded by the love she gave. Peggy was born July 20, 1937 in Hartford, the middle child of Thomas O’Neill and Margaret (Sheehan) O’Neill. Her parents were both immigrants from County Kerry, Ireland who met in Hartford, although only Mt. Brandon had separated them in Ireland. Peggy lost her father when she was only 14 years old. Peggy’s family took in her Uncle Eddie when he got tuberculosis on the boat over from Ireland. This instilled in Peggy a need to care for family. She was a caregiver with heart. She took in her mother, her sister, and her mother-in-law at various times, as well as her husband’s cousin even in her later years. Peggy was valedictorian of her class at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, and went on to study mathematics at St. Joseph’s College in West Hartford. She taught in Hartford until soon before her first child was born, and after staying home with her young children, taught for several years at the Institute of Living in Hartford and then at Penney High School in East Hartford. She then stayed home as caregiver to her sister and best friend, Mary C. O’Neill, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and died too young in 1993. When her youngest child went to college, Peggy got her real estate license and worked for years as a real estate agent in the Hartford area. Peggy was an active member of St. Paul’s Parish in Glastonbury for over 30 years. She and Paul joined St. James Parish in Rocky Hill in 2005, also as active members, upon returning to the town they lived in as newlyweds. Peggy volunteered as Treasurer for the Rocky Hill VFW Auxiliary in recent years. In addition to her sister, Mary O’Neill, Peggy was predeceased by her brother, Lawrence T. O’Neill. She is survived by her beloved husband of almost 54 years, Paul A. Hallisey, and their six children: Mary Hemingway and her husband Fred Hemingway of Farmington, CT; Joseph A. Hallisey of Glastonbury, CT; Thomas E. Hallisey of Ithaca, NY; Margaret C. Hallisey and her husband Nathaniel Drake of Philmont, NY; Stephen P. Hallisey of Suffield, CT; and Sheila A. Hallisey of Pawtucket, RI. She is also survived by 6 loving grandchildren: Katie and Liam Hemingway, Ryan and Ben Hallisey, and Imogen and Clyde Drake. Always a loyal friend, she has stayed in touch over the years with friends from grade school, high school, and college. The family would like to thank her recent caregiver, Peta-Gaye Grant, for all her care, kindness, and friendship in the past several months.
The funeral will be held Saturday, April 30 at 10:15 a.m. from the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Road, Wethersfield, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial, 11 a.m., at St. James Church, 767 Elm St., Rocky Hill. Burial will be at Wethersfield Village Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home Friday, 4-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St. James Church, Rocky Hill, CT, or the American Lung Association. To extend online condolences, or for more information, please visit Farleysullivan.com.