Margaret Estelle Dinkle Judge

Margaret Estelle Dinkle Judge, 91, of Hagerstown, MD, passed away, Friday, April 5, 2024. Affectionately known as Peggy she was born September 19, 1932 in Powellville, MD. She was the daughter of the Rev. Ira Moler Dinkle and Elizabeth Somerville Dinkle. She was preceded in death by her husband of almost 50 years, William Frederick Judge, in 2004.

She was a remarkable woman who touched the lives of many with her kindness, compassion and unwavering love. As a teenager Peggy worked as a camp counselor for WWII refuge children and for the underprivileged of Baltimore. She graduated from Eastern High School of Baltimore in 1950, from St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College in 1952 and from the University of Maryland in 1954, where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Shortly after being married she enjoyed exploring Europe while residing in Germany with her Air Force husband. Later she worked as a teacher and social worker and resided in Catonsville and Ilchester, MD.

When husband Bill accepted a promotion as a chief engineer for the International Paper Co. the family moved to Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Those seven years were memorable and for a time Peggy taught english at the University of PR in Bayamon. For 25 years they lived in Glen Ellyn, IL, and she would ride the train to downtown Chicago to her job as a manager of medical insurance claims adjusters. For many summers Peggy and her three sisters and families attended a week of classes and activities at the camp at Chautauqua, NY, where she completed a literary program.

Peggy had visited Hagerstown many times as a girl when her family would travel between Stewartstown, PA, and relatives in Lonaconing, MD, and Harpers Ferry, WV, so in 2000 she and husband Bill choose it as the site for their retirement. After retiring Peggy unleashed her artistic self and she won several blue ribbons for photography and one for quilting. She painted pictures, made stained glass windows, sewed clothes for her doll collection, attempted to grow a giant pumpkin, became a master gardener and as a Garden Club member contributed to the local area. Peggy was an avid genealogy researcher and as a patriotic member of the DAR won an award for her service to veterans.

She is survived by her sons, David McAlpine Judge and wife Teresa, Andrew McLeyne Judge and wife Lisa, sisters, Ruth Dove and Emily Sherwood and predeceased by her older sister Elizabeth Work. Family will receive friends on Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 10:00 am to noon at the Douglas A. Fiery Funeral Home, 1331 Eastern Blvd North, Hagerstown, MD. A memorial service will be held from noon to 1pm and after the service there will be a luncheon nearby at Peggy’s house in her backyard under the great oak tree. At a later date Peggy and husband Bill will be interred alongside her mother and father at the Baldwin Memorial Methodist Church in Millersville, MD. Online condolences may be expressed at www.douglasfiery.com.