Peggy Sibley Heard: An Inspiration For All

Peggy Sibley Heard loves her job in customer service at Oak Hall. She answers the phone, gets the clothes ready for client pick-up, and does whatever they need her to do at Oak Hall. Every work morning Peggy gets dressed, packs her lunch, and works about eight hours a day, four days a week. Sounds pretty typical. What is so special about this? Well, Peggy is 91, and she absolutely loves going to work! “I like what I am doing, working has been great for me - for my mind, my body and my sanity,” Peggy says.

Work outside of the home was the furthest thing from Peggy’s mind up until her job at Oak Hall because the last time Peggy had worked outside the home was in the 1950s as a teacher. She spent her years as wife to John “Jack” Houx Heard, Jr. and a stay-at-home mom raising their two children, Holly Suzanne Langenfelder and John Houx Heard III.

Thirty-three years ago, Jack was semi-retired so to cover their insurance Peggy went back to work. “I went to work at Oak Hall because my husband and I needed health insurance. I fell in love with the Levys, and I have been here ever since.”

What was that first day like for Peggy? “I was frightened I guess you would say, having been in the home for many years not being in the work world, I was very unfamiliar with it. It was very hard on me, but Bill Levy was my inspiration, he helped me through it, and I
made it!”

Peggy is so happy she stuck with her job at Oak Hall, and credits her happiness, sense of purpose, and general well being to the fact that she works and loves her workplace at Oak Hall so much. “Through the years I have made wonderful friends with the people I work with and our customers. They are wonderful!” Peggy says.So why work at the age of 91? “Staying home with my children was very important for me, but I love the public and I love the customer, and to me, work is a pleasure. I enjoy it! It is hard sometimes because I am older but working has been good for me and has helped me take care of myself,” Peggy says.
Peggy says it gives her purpose, happiness, and organization in her daily life. “Working allows me to be out and about, and the people I work with are wonderful people, they are kind, smart, and easy to work with. We are blessed here, this is my second family,”Peggy says.

Another reason Peggy loves to work is that it gets her mind off herself. “You don’t have time to worry about your aches and pains because you are so busy. You get up and get going, and that is why work is so good for me.”
Peggy says not working during the pandemic was not fun for her - she really missed going to work! “It drove me crazy because I was so used to working. I did everything to try to keep myself busy - I was so bored. When I came back to work, I was not fearful but I took all the precautions, wore my mask like I should,” Peggy says.

“Family and church are the most important things to me in the world, and my job is too.” Peggy has four grandchildren and six
great grandchildren.

Peggy gives it her all at work, at the end of the work day, she leaves feeling fulfilled and happy.