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Margaret Saunders Winslow Fisher ’43

A picture of Peggy Winslow Fisher and Joseph Fisher

Margaret Saunders Winslow Fisher ’43, June 7, 2012, in Arlington, Virginia, from complications of lung cancer. Peggy studied at Wellesley for two years before marrying Joseph L. Fisher in 1942. His service in the army brought them west, and Peggy enrolled at Reed, where she completed a BA in French. In 1947, the couple made their home in northern Virginia. Peggy continued her education at George Washington University, earning an MA in education, and at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a BFA in painting and printmaking. Joe was an economist and served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. The couple were founding members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. Peggy gave a copy of their book Living Religion to the Hauser Library, dedicating it to “the intellectual and spiritual growth of all who are fortunate enough to study and think at Reed College.” The book also features some of her poetry. For more than 50 years, Peggy enjoyed creating and teaching studio art and sculpture. Her work was shown in colleges, libraries, and galleries in northern Virginia. The Margaret W. and Joseph L. Fisher Art Gallery, dedicated in 2001, resides in the Schlesinger Center at the Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria campus. Peggy volunteered for numerous arts and environmental groups, including the Washington Metropolitan Chorus, the Arlington Symphony, the Virginia Watercolor Society, the Goose Creek Scenic River Advisory Board, and Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, where she lived in her later years. National affiliations included Planned Parenthood, Future Homemakers of America, the League of Women Voters, the National Federation of Democratic Women, the National League of American Penwomen, and the Democratic Party. She established the Margaret W. Fisher Scholarship to support financial aid at Reed. She was predeceased by her husband in 1992 and by a son in 2011. Survivors include three daughters and three sons; 17 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and her partner and companion, Frank Barsalou.

Appeared in Reed magazine: December 2012

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