Obituary of Peggy Welch Stevens

Peggy Welch Stevens, 80, of Tunkhannock, died Tuesday evening in Kindres Hospital, Tampa, Fla. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert W. Stevens Sr. Born in Jersey Shore on Sept. 23, 1927, daughter of the late Wilbur and Helen Welch of Tunkhannock, she was a graduate of Tunkhannock High School, class of 1945. She married Robert W. Stevens on June 12, 1947. Together in 1955, they opened the Shadowbrook Dairy Bar. They later expanded Shadowbrook to include bowling lanes, an 18-hole golf course, a full-service motel, dining room and bar, and KOA campground. She was a member of the Tunkhannock Presbyterian Church and the Lake Carey Cottager's Association. Peggy was an avid and accomplished potter with 25 years' experience who honed her skills attending 17 years of advanced pottery courses at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Fla. Over the past three years, Peggy devoted much of her time and cooking talents to the Java Cow Ice Cream Cafe, a coffee and ice cream shop in Sun City Center, Fla., owned and operated by her daughter Betty, son-in-law, Steve, son, Jack and daughter-in-law, Dixie, baking quiche daily and preparing her own special recipes for catered events. Surviving are three sons, Robert Jr. and Donald, both of Tunkhannock; and Jack, Sun City Center; two daughters, Gail Vieczorek, Tunkhannock; and Betty Rybczynski, Ruskin, Fla.; a brother, Jim Welch, Tunkhannock; 16 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. Friends and family may call Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Lake Carey Chapel, with services immediately following. There will be a gathering for family and friends following the services at the Shadowbrook Inn and Resort outdoor pavilion. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Triton Hose Co., P.O. Box 765, Tunkhannock, 18657; or to the Tunkhannock Library Association, 220 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, 18657. Arrangements by the Sheldon-Kukuchka Funeral Home Inc., 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, 18657.