Obituary of Peggy Vanderwende

Peggy Vanderwende, loving mother, grandmother, sister, fiance and friend, died surrounded by her family at her home in North Cape May on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 after 2 years fighting a courageous battle with an unforgiving illness. A lifelong resident of Lower Township, Peggy was the daughter of Mortimer M. Hughes, Jr. and Mildred (Keeler) Hughes. She leaves behind two daughters, Sheila and Cheryl, and a grandson, Damon, all of North Cape May, a brother Charles Hughes (Frances) of Erma, A sister Suzanne Benoit (Gordon) of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, fiance Gary Bell of North Cape May, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Peggy was a graduate of Lower Cape May Regional High School. She had a life-long career with Wendy's, starting with the restaurant chain when there was a Wendy's in Rio Grande. Later she was the manager of the restaurant in Marmora for many years until it closed, and then she managed the Northfield Wendy's until her retirement more than two years ago because of declining health. She considered her Wendy's co-workers as family and loved them dearly. Peggy's generosity and kindness will be missed by everyone who knew her. All through her life her abundant love for animals set no bounds, and over the years there was never a stray dog or cat that was not welcomed into her home. In lieu of flowers (please no cut flowers), a donation may be made to Animal Shelter of Cape May County, DN 501B, 4 Moore Rd, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 or the Kidney Foundation, 325 Chestnut Street, Suite 1016, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Burial will be next to her parents and other family members in Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, 780 Seashore Rd., North Cape May, NJ on April 27th at 1:00pm. Peg's family would like to thank Bayada Hospice of Cape May Court House for their care and kindness which allowed her to spend her final days at home with her loved ones.