Margaret L. “Peggy” Gillispie, 91, formerly of Oak Park and River Forest, died peacefully on April 12, 2017 in her Gilbert, Arizona home, with both of her granddaughters by her side. She was proceeded in death by her husband, Dr. John M. “Gus” Gillispie, DVM, a longtime veterinarian in River Forest who died in 1990.
Born in Chicago on March 29, 1926, she graduated from Rosary College/Dominican University with a B.A. in Psychology and then earned an M.A. in Social Work from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She returned to school in her late 60s for an advanced certificate in psychoanalysis from the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis. A longstanding member of NASW, she worked as a clinical social worker and therapist at the Fillmore Center for Human Services/Pillars in Berwyn before opening her private practice in Oak Park. She served on the Altar Guild Association at Christ Church of River Forest and was a scout leader for the boy and girl scouts.
Demonstrating her heart for serving others, she was on the board at Hephzibah Children’s Association and mentored interns in social work. An avid member of the Psychoanalytic Association, she made contributions to many charities for children, animals, and cancer research. She loved to read, shop, and eat out with friends, was an avid gardener, loved animals, and delighted in taking vacations with her husband, Gus, and late-life partner, Ed, along with family and friends. Trips to her house in Lake Geneva were one of her favorite things to do since childhood, and her trips to Europe and Alaska were memorable. She enjoyed visiting Hawaii and always loved being in the water and the sun. When she was home, she spent time at the River Forest Tennis Club, where she was a member for over 40 years. She loved entertaining at her home.
Margaret Gillispie is survived by her children, Craig Gillispie and Vicki Ardisana (Roger); her granddaughters, Cheryl Ardisana (Roger) and Becky Davis (Sean); her eight great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; and her dog, “Josie.”
A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held at Oak Park’s Cheney Mansion, 220 N. Euclid Ave. on Wednesday, July 19 from 4 to 7 p.m. Her remains will be buried alongside Gus in Walworth County, Wisconsin on July 22 near their summer home. Memorial donations may be given to Pillars (Fillmore Center) www.pillarscommunity.org, the University of Chicago https://ssa.uchicago.edu, or to the Animal Care League of Oak Park http://www.animalcareleague.org.