Peggy Ann McCall debuted on July 6, 1931, to doting parents Lester McCall and Stella (Richey) McCall on the family farm near Carthage, Missouri.
In her youth and into her teen years, the Carthage Evening Press noted Peggy’s extensive involvement in many endeavors, from her role in functions at the local Methodist Church to her involvement with youth organizations. She was always taking a leadership role.
Even with her social obligations, Peggy still had time as a youth to run a small poultry enterprise to earn money that she faithfully saved. All that saving would pay off when she was able to buy her own car after graduating high school: a new Ford Victoria two-door hardtop. But it was the formation of the local Civil Air Patrol in December 1949 in Jasper County, Missouri, that captured much of Peggy’s heart and attention in her teen years. She held the office of “First Lieutenant –Personnel” in the early years of the organization.
In the fall of 1950, she was the first woman to earn her pilot’s license at Myer’s Field Municipal Airport. She would go on to win numerous contests for being the youngest pilot and the youngest female pilot in Joplin and Rogers.
In 1952, she would join the Eastern Star organization with her family, and in the fall of that year, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri, to start work at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.
Her parents used the unique “Ercoupe” plane owned by Peggy and her father to visit Peggy in St. Louis, as noted in the local paper. Family members said the plane to St. Louis was “loaded with clothing” the hard-working Miss Stella had sewn for her daughter.
Peggy worked at McDonnell in the accounting department for many years, committing many hours to overtime and eventually taking an early retirement in July of 1986. However, retirement certainly didn’t mean “Not busy,” as she was very good to help with her friend Hugh DeBord’s elderly mother, Lillian DeBord, until Lillian relocated to Mountain View Healthcare.
Hugh and Peggy had many adventures in the 1980s and 1990s. In June 1995, Hugh and Peggy drove from their home in Grove, Oklahoma, over to Benton County, Arkansas, to make their union official—the groom a young 69 years and the bride a blushing 63 years of age.
Their union continued until his death on January 11th, 2002, when he passed away in his sleep.
Despite the hardship of the loss, Peggy’s youthful latch on life was constant all of her years and helped her through transitions. After selling the Grove residence, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, in 2002 to be closer to her family.
In October of 2004, she moved into an apartment at The Waterford in Springfield, where she quickly took on a leadership role, eventually becoming the host of bingo, a task and obligation she took as seriously as working the accounting books at McDonnell.
After several health setbacks and many trips to the doctor facilitated by her sister-in-law, Peggy relocated to James River Nursing Facility. Right before her death, she was still wheeling herself in her chair to meals and getting around the facility, all with a very positive attitude.
She passed away on Thursday afternoon, September 10, 2026, after a short illness at CoxHealth in Springfield, Missouri.
Peggy is preceded in death by her parents and her husband.
She leaves behind a sister-in-law, Dorothy (DeBord) Foulk of Springfield, MO; cousins, Gerry McCall of Springfield and Ron Wright of Holt, MO; brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Lenora DeBord of Kiowa, OK; and a host of nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.
