In Memoriam

Margaret ‘Peg’ Kane Carney
1938-2024

ONEONTA—Margaret “Peg” “Peggy” Kane Carney, 86, died Tuesday, August 13, 2024 at home, after living for a dozen years with Alzheimer’s disease.  

She was predeceased by her parents, Donald and Helen (McLaughlin) Kane; her brothers, Charles and James Kane; her husband, John J. Carney Jr., and her granddaughter, Kaitlin Carney. 

She is survived by her son, John (Debra), Guilford, Connecticut; daughter Caralee (Maureen), Cooperstown, New York; daughter Julie (Mike), Oneonta; daughter, Christy Hill (David), Wilmington, Delaware; granddaughters Kelly Carney (Liv), Connecticut and Rafferty Hill, Delaware; great-grandson, Liam Braisted-Horton, Connecticut; her brothers, Joseph (Lucille) and Donald Kane; and her sister, Kathleen Todd.

Peg was born and grew up in Herkimer, New York, where she attended St. Francis de Sales Catholic School and Herkimer High School. In high school, she babysat and was a receptionist for a local doctor and was employed at W.T. Grant’s Department Store in the accounts department. She was excited to go off to college at SUNY Geneseo, where she worked during the school year at the local Dairy Bar and summers at The Mohawk Resort on Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks. Her summers in the Adirondacks were one of the memories she kept long after Alzheimer’s stole so many other memories away. She especially loved sleeping in the employee quarters in the boat house and being lulled to sleep by the sound of the water. 

At Geneseo, Peg met John and they married during the summer after graduation. Their next homes followed John’s continuing education and jobs for a time, eventually settling in Oneonta in the late 1960s. In addition to raising her kids and running Carney Books with John, Peg also worked for and was a volunteer and activist with several organizations. Peg was an election inspector for decades, mainly working the polls in the 3rd Ward for general, local and school board elections. She worked as an administrative assistant for more than 30 years with United University Professions and was an active member of her CWA union during that time as well. 

Peg was pro-choice and volunteered at the Planned Parenthood booth at the Otsego County Fair every summer, was a patient escort at clinics throughout the area, and marched for reproductive freedom in Washington, D.C. She also supported the Greater Oneonta Historical Society, the Oneonta Business Women’s Club, and the local Democratic Party and League of Women Voters. 

Peg enjoyed traveling with John or others. She loved visiting Las Vegas, Florida, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. Like John, Peg enjoyed reading and collecting, and folks knew to keep an eye out for fun jewelry she might enjoy, including a necklace she could put over her head or her clip-on earrings. 

Peg always enjoyed going for walks around the neighborhood, whether with her friends, her family, or her dog, Roadie. Even after she needed a walker to get around, she still managed a trip around the block on a nice day. Sitting on the porch was always a simple pleasure for her, too. In her later years, Peggy loved watching competitive figure skating on TV, drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows, and listening to big band and swing music. 

A service to celebrate Peg’s life will be held on 10 a.m., Monday, September 9, 2024 at the Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home at 51 Dietz Street in Oneonta. 

Donations in Peg’s memory can be made to Family Planning of South Central New York or to the charity of the donor’s choosing. 

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Oneonta’s only family-owned funeral home’s website, www.lhpfuneralhome.com.