Peggy "Peg" Baumgardner, 82, of Montrose, Colorado, passed away at home on August 30, 2026, after a lengthy, hard-fought battle with lung cancer.

Peg was born on December 11, 1943, to Jess W. and Mabel (Griffith) Passmore in Marshall, Arkansas. Her family lived in Mountain View, Arkansas, until she was eleven years old. It was then that the family moved to Ridgway, Colorado for her dad to pursue work in the timber industry. She graduated from Ridgway High School in 1961 and attended Mesa College Business School in Grand Junction, Colorado, for one year.

In 1963, Peg married Jack Baumgardner in Denver, Colorado. Jack was the brother of her best friend, Shirley (Baumgardner) Broadhead. Peg and Shirley remained lifelong friends, exchanging daily morning and evening texts—along with their friend Chan (Falduto) Foote—to check on each other and to say “good night”.

Jack and Peg lived in Ridgway and Carbondale before returning to Montrose in 1968, where Peg lived for the remainder of her life. She worked for the Montrose County School District for 20 years, starting as a paraprofessional and retiring as the Head Secretary for Special Services. She also worked for court reporters, dermatology offices, and neurologist Dr. Michael Hehman for over 16 years, officially retiring at age 75.

Peg loved to dance, listen to music, and visit the Passmore family cabin on the Big Cimarron. She held a yearly cabin gathering with her long-time friends and sisters-in-laws to share laughs, stories, and secrets that were not to leave the cabin. She loved her extended Baumgardner family and considered herself lucky for the kindness and love they showed her over the years.

Peg was preceded in death by her grandmother, Maggie Ingram; her father, Jess W. Passmore; her mother, Mabel (Griffith) West; her brothers, Larry and Gene Passmore; and her husband, Jack Baumgardner. She is survived by her Aunt Pauline Tomlinson; her half-sister, Velda (Hooper) Bryson; her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Sue Baumgardner; her daughter, Mindy Baumgardner; and her granddaughters, Hailey and Bethany Wells. In addition to her immediate family she is also survived by her companion and friend, Larry Johnson; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on September 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM at The Sherbino in Ridgway, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to HopeWest, The Sherbino, or a charity of your choice.