Margaret (Peggy) McLain Fearing

Margaret “Peggy” Elizabeth McLain Fearing was born on September 12, 1924 to Dr. Charles W. and Frances (Dawley) McLain in Fort Collins, Colorado, and died on June 12, 2026. She lived for 101 years and 9 months. The eldest of three girls, she spent her early years growing up on the old Fort Lewis College campus near Hesperus, Colorado where her father taught. It was an idyllic youth, mostly sheltered from the Depression by her life on an agricultural college. She finished high school in Durango in 1940 at age 16, and then took classes at Fort Lewis College for two years before transferring to Colorado A & M (now Colorado State University) in Fort Collins. Her entire undergrad years were spent with very few men on campus due to WWII, but she managed to have a fine time anyway! She moved on to the Chicago area in 1945 to work on her master’s degree in early childhood education, finishing up at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. It was at a church group in Chicago where she met her future husband, Joseph L. Fearing III and they had a whirlwind romance of four months. It was meant to be! They married on August 22, 1950, in Greeley, Colorado and celebrated 65 years of marriage before Joe passed away on January 3, 2016. Her husband’s career in education took them from Chicago to teaching opportunities in Florida, then to Greeley, Colorado where he finished his doctorate, then Houston, teaching at the University of Houston for five years. In 1968 they settled in Denton, Texas where he taught at Texas Woman’s University. Peggy, in the meantime, helped raise their five children, and directed Little Creek Preschool which she truly loved. In addition, she was on the founding board of Denton Christian Preschool where she volunteered for many years upon retirement. Many former students or their parents would recognize her as she went about her shopping and errands and stop to chat. Peggy and Joe were longtime members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Denton and volunteered for activities there and at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. She sang in the Trinity Presbyterian church choir for many years. An avid pianist, her love of music inspired her children to play various instruments. Travel was a huge part of her life and with her son, Scott, she was able to venture around Europe and Asia, as a guest of the National Symphony Orchestra. She also traveled throughout the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. Teaching allowed them to take road trips every summer including camping in the Rockies and visiting the New York World’s Fair. Sailing on Lake Texoma was also a favorite activity with family and friends, where they owned a cabin.Peggy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Joe, and her two sisters, Ruth Ployhar and Kathie Bergfield. Surviving her are her children: Marilyn (Danny) Harris of Sanger, TX; Jan (Reagan) Waskom of Captain Cook, HI; Kim (Larry) McGehee of Argyle, TX; Scott (Leslie) Fearing of Arlington, VA, and Mark Fearing of Denton. Her grandchildren are Lisa, Jamie, Jodi, Heith, Monika, Peter, Caitlin, Linda, Rebecca, Daniel, Rachel and Maggie. Great-grandchildren: Michael, Erik, Jacob, Colin, Dilyn, Audrey, Caden, Gracie, Juliana, and Melanie. Her life was well-lived and blessed in many ways, and we are grateful to have had her with us for so long!

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 20th at 2:00 pm at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Donations in her memory may be sent to Denton Christian Preschool or Trinity Presbyterian Church. Condolences to the family may be sent to Kim McGehee at 2001 Christina Ct Argyle, TX 76226. The family would like to express their appreciation to Sky Nyangaire and all her caregivers for their loving care of Peggy that allowed her to live in her home We are also grateful to the Concho Hearts Hospice team for supporting her peaceful passing.