Peggy Nelson Kallsen

Peggy Nelson Kallsen was born on November 18, 1949, in Eureka, California, the second child to Jean and Bruce Nelson. She grew up in a family of eight in Shelton, Washington, where her father had joined the family oyster business. When the oyster business declined, the family fell upon hard times. Despite these challenges, young Peggy was immersed in a rich cultural and intellectual life that encouraged arts and literature.

Peggy put herself through school, graduating from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in Education Communication. Years into her career, she earned a second Master’s in Library and Information Science[Mv1] .

Peggy met her future husband Phil Kallsen at a UW party, and they immediately hit it off. A friend asked her if she was going to the next party, emphasizing that “Phil wants to know.” It was only a matter of time before they were married and building a life on beautiful Vashon Island. Phil was the love of Peggy’s life, and they were married 37 years until his death in 2014. Friends and family have great memories of many wonderful parties they hosted at their waterfront home where the croquet balls were always running off the slanted lawn.

Peggy was the beloved Vashon High School librarian for multiple decades until she retired in 2014. She helped students find books they really loved. She treated all students equally, and nobody was “too cool” to be told to be quiet. Students who struggled to fit in found someone who understood their struggle, someone who saw them.

Peggy’s creativity had no end. To raise money for student-requested books that were outside the school budget, she recruited (sometimes arm-twisted) teachers to get onstage and lip-sync to their favorite 60s & 70s pop hits wearing elaborate costumes that she made. “Airband” was always a HUGE hit with students! When else could you see Mr. Sears doing the Monster Mash?

The American Library Association honored Peggy with multiple awards and funded all-expense-paid trips to Chicago and San Francisco. In 1999, after getting her MLIS, she won a coveted internship to work at the American Library in Paris for several months and was granted a sabbatical by the Vashon Island School District during this time. Peggy loved going new places, but most of all she loved making her yearly pilgrimage to Eureka.

As dementia began to rob her of her ability to read the giant biographies dominating her bookshelves, she turned her attention to other sources of joy: yardwork, ice cream, and of course music (especially singing along with Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, and the Beatles). When she transitioned to memory care, her beautiful voice made everyone stop to listen. Along with her singing voice and phenomenal recollection of the lyrics of many songs, Peggy’s irreverent sense of humor remained intact during her battle with dementia.

Peggy passed away on December 20, 2024, after a year in memory care with her newfound best friend Sheila Maxwell by her side every day. She was preceded in death by her parents Bruce and Jean and beloved husband Phil, and is survived by her daughter Robin, stepdaughters Melissa and Shannon, siblings Eric, Scott, Nora, Muriel, and Jody, and nieces and nephews. We can hope that she is, once again, taking her pilgrimage to Eureka and enjoying a bowl of Talenti Sea Salt Caramel Gelato.

A Celebration of Life will take place on March 8, at 2:00 PM, at the Vashon Presbyterian Church.