Margaret “Peggy” Flint

The Life of Margaret “Peggy” Flint

Margaret Flint, known lovingly throughout her life as Peggy, was born in Philadelphia in 1951 to Robert H. Norton and Margaret M. Norton, née Mullin. Before Peggy entered the world, she knew loss: her father passed away before she was born. She was raised by her mother, who remained an important presence in her life until her passing in 1990.

Peggy grew up in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia alongside her siblings, Mary Anne Brogan, née Norton, Robert Norton, and Gary Norton. Her early years were rooted in family, neighborhood, faith, and the familiar rhythms of city life. She attended Holy Cross grade school and later Cardinal Dougherty High School, carrying with her the values of hard work, resilience, loyalty, and kindness that would shape the rest of her life.

Some of the relationships Peggy formed during those early years would remain with her for the rest of her life. Among the most enduring were her friendships with Jeannie and Kathy, women she had known since they were girls growing up together around Old York Road. What began as childhood friendship became a bond that lasted a lifetime.

Through all the changes that life brought—marriage, children, work, moves, growing older, and the passing of the years—Jeannie, Kathy, and Peggy never lost their desire to remain part of one another’s lives. They continued to seek each other out, share stories, reminisce, and, most importantly, laugh together. For Peggy’s family, witnessing the love these women had for one another was something special. Their friendship was a beautiful example of loyalty and of the rare gift of having people in your life who knew you when you were young and continued to know and love you through every version of yourself.

As a young woman, Peggy worked as a waitress in a diner. It was there that one of the most important chapters of her life began. Known for her generosity, she would often give free coffee to the police officers who came into the diner while working in the district. One of those officers was Robert Flint. Their connection grew into love, beginning a remarkable life together.

Peggy and Robert shared a love that would span more than half a century. Robert was absolutely devoted to Peggy, and their marriage was a partnership built on love, loyalty, laughter, and a lifetime of shared experiences. In January 2026, they celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary, marking more than five decades of building a family and a life together.

From the earliest days of their relationship, Robert affectionately called Peggy “Baby,” his loving nickname for his best girl. Through raising three children, working, family celebrations, vacations, retirement, their move to Florida, and all of the ordinary and extraordinary moments that make up a life together, she remained his “Baby.” Fifty-six years later, the nickname had never faded, nor had the love behind it. After all those years, she was still his best girl, still his Baby, and the love of his life.

Peggy and Robert were blessed with three children: Christine, Kimberly, and Timothy. Her family became the heart of her life. She worked hard to help provide for them, spending much of her career in service and retail before beginning what would become a nearly 15-year career as a security officer at the Internal Revenue Service on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia.

Peggy enjoyed the camaraderie of her coworkers and the many friendships she formed there. Stationed at the entrance, she greeted thousands of employees and visitors over the years, becoming a familiar and welcoming face to those who passed through the building each day.

Even dressed in her serious, police-style security uniform, Peggy always found a way to let a little of her personality shine through. She might be wearing a pair of fun earrings or a fancy hair accessory—small touches of color and personality that were unmistakably Peggy. With her outgoing nature and natural ability to connect with people, she brought warmth and a bit of fun to even the most official surroundings.

Retirement brought Peggy an entirely new adventure. In 2013, she made the big move from the city she had always known, Philadelphia, to Homestead, Florida, where Robert had a beautiful home waiting for them. Peggy approached this new chapter with tremendous anticipation and excitement. She was incredibly proud of their Florida home and embraced the opportunity to build a new life there with her husband.

For seven years, from 2013 until 2020, Homestead became home and an important chapter in Peggy and Robert’s life together. They made sure there was always a place for their family to stay and join them.

Peggy loved music and filled her days with the sound of her records, often listening at all hours of the day. She was always the life of the party, singing, dancing, and playing her tambourine with a joy that brought people together.

Music was also woven into Peggy and Robert’s love story. Their song was Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” a song that became part of the soundtrack of their 56 years together. Hearing it will forever bring memories of Peggy and Robert, their love, and the life they shared.

And then there was Peggy’s laugh. She had a hearty, unmistakable laugh that was uniquely hers. It was contagious, the kind of laugh that made everyone around her smile and often start laughing right along with her. For those who knew and loved Peggy, the sound of her laughter will be one of the things they remember and miss most.

Laughter was woven into the fabric of the Flint family, and Peggy was at the heart of so much of it. Over the years, the family collected countless inside jokes. Sometimes it was a line from a favorite movie; other times it was a simple slip of the tongue or a word accidentally pronounced in a funny way. Once something made the family laugh, it had a way of becoming part of the Flint family language forever.

One of those words was “cherub,” once humorously pronounced “sha-rube.” The mistake happened long ago, but the family never let it go. To this day, someone only has to say “sha-rube” to bring back the joke and get a laugh. These little expressions may seem simple to anyone outside the family, but they represent something much bigger: decades of shared experiences, stories, teasing, and laughter. The jokes will continue to be told, the funny words will continue to be deliberately mispronounced, and each time the family laughs together, a little bit of Peggy will be there too.

Peggy had a special love for the holidays, and no holiday meant more to her than Christmas. She delighted in going over the top, transforming her home from the chimney to the curb. A light-up Santa watched from the rooftop, every window glowed with Christmas lights, and decorations filled the house inside and out.

Christmas was one of the many ways Peggy expressed her creativity and her joy in making things beautiful. That same creative spirit could be seen throughout the year in the way she decorated her home and tended her garden. She took great pride in creating spaces that were colorful, welcoming, and unmistakably her own.

Peggy also enjoyed the sweet things in life, especially ice cream. There was almost always ice cream in her freezer, and finding a great ice cream shop was reason enough for an outing. Over the years, the family sought out favorite creameries together, always in search of a really good scoop. It was one of Peggy’s simple pleasures, and sharing it with the people she loved made it even sweeter.

She loved movies as well and treasured weekends spent with her many nieces and nephews. She would gather everyone together for movie nights, watching VHS tapes and creating the kind of simple family memories that remained with them long after childhood.

Peggy had an especially tender place in her heart for babies. In 1998, while still in her forties, she welcomed her first grandchild and embraced becoming a grandmother with tremendous joy. Every new baby who joined the family was a reason for celebration, and Peggy greeted each one with the same excitement and wonder as the first.

That joy came full circle in 2026 with the birth of her youngest grandson. Nearly three decades after becoming a grandmother for the first time, Peggy was every bit as excited to welcome this newest baby into the family. Even as her health declined, her love and interest never did. She wanted to see every new picture and watch every video of the baby that her family could share with her. Until the very end, a baby’s face could still bring Peggy happiness. In a life centered so deeply around family, welcoming its newest members was always among her greatest joys.

Wildwood, New Jersey, held a special place in Peggy’s heart throughout her entire life and became the setting for countless family memories. She vacationed there from the time she was young and continued the tradition with Robert and their three children. Family trips meant days on the beach, nights on the boardwalk, rides with the kids, and plenty of laughter. Peggy even traveled with her own blender, ready to mix up a favorite drink and add a little extra fun to the vacation.

Getting three children packed, loaded up, and off to the shore was no small undertaking. By the end of each trip, an exhausted Peggy would declare, “This is the last time!” But with Peggy, there was always a next time. Year after year, the family returned.

Peggy loved Wildwood so much that she eventually organized a family weekend at the Beachwood Hotel, bringing together the people she loved in one of her favorite places. What began as Peggy’s idea grew into an annual family tradition that has continued for more than four decades and has been shared by five generations of the family.

The hotel and surroundings have changed over the years, but what Peggy created has remained: a time for family to come together, reconnect, laugh, and make new memories. It is a tradition that captures so much of who Peggy was. She loved a good time, but even more, she loved bringing people together. Decades later, the family continues to gather in Wildwood. The places may have changed, but the family love Peggy helped nurture has remained constant.

Peggy leaves behind her beloved husband, Robert; her daughter Christine and Christine’s husband, Steven Ostrowski, and their children, Michael Ostrowski and Margaret Ostrowski; her daughter Kimberly and Kimberly’s husband, Sean McGraw, and their son, Colin McGraw; her son Timothy and his wife, Brittany Flint, née Duaime, and their son, Robert J. Flint; her siblings, Robert Norton, Mary Anne Brogan, and Gary Norton and his wife Maria; as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, lifelong friends, and all those fortunate enough to have known and loved her.

Peggy’s story is one of strength, loyalty, laughter, adventure, friendship, and, above all, love. From her beginnings in Philadelphia to the family she raised, the friendships she maintained across a lifetime, the new life she embraced in Florida, and the traditions she created that will continue for generations, Peggy made her presence felt.

She will be remembered in Christmas lights glowing from the windows, music playing a little too loudly, the opening notes of “Sweet Caroline,” a favorite movie line repeated for the hundredth time, a deliberately mispronounced “sha-rube,” a trip for a really good scoop of ice cream, family gathered together in Wildwood, a blender packed for vacation, a pair of fun earrings peeking out from a serious uniform, and the unmistakable sound of that hearty laugh filling a room.

She will live on in the traditions she began, the friendships she treasured, the babies she adored, the stories her family will continue to tell, and the laughter and love shared among the generations she helped bring together.

And for Robert, after 56 years of marriage, she will always be his best girl.

She will always be his Baby.

Relatives and friends are invited to join Peggy’s family in celebrating her life on Friday, September 11th at Our Lady of Calvary Church 11024 Knights Road, where her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1 PM.

Following Mass, everyone is invited to continue the celebration of Peggy’s life and join her family at FOP Lodge 5, 11630 Caroline Rd. for a luncheon and time together to share memories and stories.

In lieu of flowers your donations in memory of Peggy to the Danny Boyle scholarship fund would be appreciated by our family. 

Arrangements by McCafferty Sweeney Slabinski Barnes Funerals and Cremations, John Barnes Supervisor 215.620.9123.