Howe, Texas -- Services for Peggy Joyce Erwin Whitfield, 72, of Howe, Texas who passed away Tuesday, December 16, 2014 will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, November 20, 2014, at Scoggins Funeral Home in Van Alstyne, Texas.  Pastor David Morgan will officiate.

Peggy was born on May 30, 1942 at Eleven-Mile Corner, AZ. to Cleve Ferret and Susie Arvella Samples Erwin.  On December 21, 1957 she married Kenneth Alvin Whitfield.  They were married almost 57 years and had four children together.  She was a devoted wife, loving mother and faithful friend.  

Peggy, the daughter of a sharecropper, spent her early years traveling and living in various states from Texas to California.  After marriage, she worked as a seamstress sewing for the public.  She also worked for Double B Manufacturing in Van Alstyne, TX and in the school cafeterias in Howe, TX.  As a homemaker she gardened, quilted and sewed for her family.  Later, as grandchildren came, she greatly enjoyed keeping them overnight, documenting many of the times with pictures, poems and diary entries. The grandkids also began to look forward to the yearly vacation trips with Maw-maw and Paw-paw.  Many of her poems were straight from these adventures.   Another passion of hers was singing gospel music with her husband Kenneth at various nursing homes and church events.  They sang traditional gospel songs, as well as, original songs she had written.  From 1998 to 2003, Peggy entered her written works in Austin College’s “Telling Our Stories” Festival of Autobiography where she was the recipient of numerous awards. 
 
 Since 1985 she has written over 200 poems, stories, and songs which have inspired, encouraged and uplifted many.  Her creative and often humorous description of the various facets of life and growing up has left readers with the feeling they can identify with her hardships and share in her joy.

Surviving her are three sons and one daughter; Dennis Whitfield and wife Cynthia of Rogers, AR, Darryl Whitfield and wife Martha of Van Alstyne, TX, David Whitfield and wife Lisa of Van Alstyne, Valerie Cox and husband Rick of Becker, MN; twelve grand children, Layne Whitfield, William Whitfield, Amanda Brumit, Bethany Cox, Raymond Whitfield, Caleb Cox, Kelsie Whitfield, Stephanie Cox, Bailey Cox, Angela Whitfield, Abbi Whitfield and Lexi Whitfield; brothers Clovis Erwin, Joe Erwin, Charlie Erwin and Tom Erwin all of Bells, TX and a multitude of other family and friends.
 
Peggy was preceded in death by her parents.
 
The family will be at Scoggins Funeral Home on Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 1:00 p.m