Peggy E. Dulaney
Peggy Ellis Dulaney, age 78, passed away at her home in Cary, NC on June 22, 2024. She is preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Mary Ellis of Greenville, SC. She is survived by her husband Brian; son Ken (Diane) of Cary, NC; daughter Laura Thompson (Greg) of Apex, NC; a brother Ernie Ellis (Sandie) of Columbia, SC; and four grandchildren: Brian, Ben, Ellie, and Josh.
Peggy was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She was intentional about family gatherings whether it was Sunday dinners or traditional holidays. She always sent cards for birthdays and anniversaries. When the kids were young, she attended so many athletic events and piano recitals. Peggy deeply loved her husband through 57 years of marriage starting when they were both college students and into their golden years of retirement. She especially enjoyed spoiling her grandchildren with special trips and treats.
Peggy was blessed to have many roles in life as a wife, mother, nurse, Sunday School teacher and friend. Born in Greenville, SC, she knew early in life that she wanted to be a nurse. So as a teenager, she volunteered as a Candy Striper at Greenville General Hospital. Peggy graduated from Greenville High School in 1963, attended Duke University and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1967 from the School of Nursing. She went on to obtain a Masters degree in Nursing from Duke in 1968.
Peggy spent most of her professional career (25 years) working for the Greenville Hospital System (GHS). Prior to that role, she was a nursing instructor at Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia and also at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, NC. For a short time, she was an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, NC. Some of her roles at GHS included Director of Nursing at Marshall Pickens Psychiatric Hospital, Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Director of Care Management. She retired in 1999 and started her own business as an educator and nursing consultant.
Among her many professional activities, she was a member and past president of the South Carolina Nurses Association, founding member and past president of the International Society of Psychiatric Consultation Liaison Nurses, and member of the Nursing Advisory Boards of Clemson University and Greenville Technical College. She was listed in Who’s Who in American Nursing in 1986 and 1988. She received the President's Award for Outstanding Service to SCNA in 1987 and 1996. She authored or co-authored numerous articles published in local, regional, or national nursing journals. She was a member of Sigma Theta Tau the International Honor Society for Nurses.
At the community level, Peggy was very active at Bethesda United Methodist Church for over 40 years as an adult Sunday School Teacher and Parish Nurse. She organized Health Fairs, was active in multiple bible study groups, and was a long time member of the United Methodist Women. She was also a member of the Nursing Advisory Board for the American Red Cross.
Peggy loved to travel and to ride her bike on greenways. She rode the Doodle Trail and Swamp Rabbit Trail in South Carolina with family and friends many times. She also rode down Pikes Peak in Colorado and Mount Haleakala in Hawaii. She went canoeing on the Buffalo River in Arkansas and tubing on the Salt River in Arizona. Her favorite rail trail was the Virginia Creeper in Southwestern Virginia. After retirement, she and Brian were able to fulfill a lifelong dream and travel to Switzerland. They saw the Matterhorn, rode the Glacier Express train, and ate Swiss Fondue.
Our Peggy had a remarkable life and will be greatly missed by all who knew her. There will be a Celebration of Life at Bethesda United Methodist Church (516 Piedmont Rd., Easley, SC) on July 12 at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the South Carolina Nurses Foundation (scnursesfoundation.org) and to the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses Foundation (ispn-psych.org/foundation). Internment will be at a later date at Flatwoods Cemetery in Flatwoods, West Virginia.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.