Margery “Margie” Hart Peters Gardow, 85, of Simsbury, wife of the late Ernest Bernhard Gardow, PhD., P.E., died Saturday, December 7, 2019 after a short illness at the Governor’s House in Simsbury. She was born May 16, 1934 in Bellefonte, PA, daughter of the late William Hart and Pearl Cecilia (Hawkins) Peters and had lived in Buffalo, NY prior to moving to the area and settling in Simsbury 61 years ago. She was a graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, Class of 1956, having received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Granby, the Simsbury Senior Stitchers and was a 27-year member of the Alpenland Tänzer Schuhplattler Group in New Britain, where she embraced her husband’s Bavarian cultural roots. Margery was the Founder of the International Women’s Club in Hartford, was an ESL Instructor, taught German through the Department of Continuing Education in Simsbury, volunteered at the University of Hartford where her husband was a professor for many years and was a lifelong Girl Scout counselor and volunteer. She had a passion for different cultures and their peoples and languages, enjoyed folk music and dancing, yodeling, accordion and piano playing, enjoyed traveling in Europe, Asia and North America and was a master crochet crafter.

Her greatest joy was spending time with her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her children, Kathryn Gardow and her husband David Bradlee of Seattle, WA, Eva Gardow of Kinnelon, NJ, Polly Gardow Rice and her husband Bill of West Simsbury and Peter Gardow and his wife Cheryl of Wethersfield; her grandchildren, Margot Gardow, Will Rice, Hawkins Gardow, Pearl Bradlee, Liza Rice, Marcus Bradlee and Julia Gardow; her siblings, Carol Peters Hoeckley and husband Bert and Mary Louise Peters Quinn; Ernie’s twin sisters, Suzie Endres and husband Don and Elly Frauenhofer and husband Andy and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her son-in-law, Ty Dewhurst.

Her family will receive friends at the Vincent Funeral Home, 880 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury on Friday, December 13th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. A memorial service will be celebrated at 2pm on Saturday, December 14th at the First Congregational Church of Canton Center, 184 Cherry Brook Road in Canton. Margie’s family would like to thank the caring staff of the Governor’s House for their kind attention given to their Mom. Memorial donations may be made to the Dr. Ernest B. Gardow Scholarship Fund, University of Hartford, Office of Institutional Advancement, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117. Please visit Margery’s “Book of Memories” at www.vincentfuneralhome.com for online tributes.