In Memoriam: Longtime Fair Havenite, Former PTA President, County Child Study Supervisor, Volunteer, Peggy Lancton

Longtime Fair Havenite, Margaret Ann “Peggy, Boots” Lindberg Lancton passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 10, at her Fair Haven home.

Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada to Dorothy and Malcolm Lindberg, at about the age of 9 she and her family moved to the upper west side of Manhattan, where she was raised as an only child. Peggy often roller skated all over Manhattan, especially through Central Park where she would visit her mom who worked as a nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital. She attended Julia Richman High School, a very large all-girls school on E 67th Street in NYC and graduated in June of 1948.

She was selected to be a member of the All City Chorus (while growing up in NY). While Peggy attended high school she tried out and was chosen as a dance teacher at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Manhattan and volunteered as a counselor at The Lighthouse for the Blind.

“Peggy was an animal lover, an avid reader, cared greatly about all people, and enjoyed every minute of her blessed life as an eternal optimist. Mom was the center of our universe and people were always drawn to her for her kindness, acceptance, empathy, and respect. She was extremely independent, resilient, and a true advocate for children and adults with disabilities.

“She attended Upsala College in East Orange, NJ, where she met her future husband, Walter, whom she married in 1951.

“They moved to Fair Haven in 1953, where she was a president/member of the Fair Haven PTA and the Junior League. Peggy received her master’s in Social Work from Rutgers University in 1964, became the director of Pupil Personnel for the Long Branch School District in the 1970s, then was employed as the supervisor of Child Study for Monmouth County, working closely with the county Superintendent of Schools to supervise all aspects of Special Education Programs in the county. Many said that she worked with ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove.'”
Loved ones of Peggy Lancton in her obituary

Peggy was a Professor of Social Work at Rutgers University, president of the board at Ladacin Network in both Monmouth and Ocean Counties, a member of the board of the Mental Health Association, the Zoning Board of Fair Haven and was on the board at the Blood Bank.

“Mom had a passion for travel and spent a lot of time traveling through every continent with the exception of Antarctica; she made friends all over the world. Her only travel disappointment was her (our) inability to visit Foula, a remote island off the Shetland Islands of Scotland where her grandmother came from. The winds were too strong for us to fly.”

She was predeceased in October, 2005, by her husband of 54 years, Walter, whom she cared for over several years during his struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.

She is survived by: her daughters, Kathy and Kristin Lancton; Kristin’s sons, lan and Scott Di Benedetto; Scott’s wife, Chelsie, their son, Scotty, and daughter, Penelope.

“Our family is very grateful for the loving care and devotion provided to our mom by Lorna Bennett and Mary Mellone of Comfort Keepers, as well as many dedicated professionals from Gentiva Hospice.”

The family will hold a private service to celebrate Peggy’s life. Please consider making a donation to either the Ladacin Network, https://www.ladacin.org, (1703 Kneeley Blvd., Ocean Township, NJ 07712 or to the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County, https://mentalhealthmonmouth.org, (106 Apple St., Tinton Falls, NJ 07724).

— Edited obituary prepared by family via Thompson Memorial Home