Margaret "Peg" Mary (Murphy) Kemmerer

Margaret “Peg” Mary Murphy Kemmerer, who lived for many years in Princeton Jct. and Princeton, NJ, passed away in the early morning hours of March 23, 2026, in Ipswich, MA. Peg was born on November 28, 1941, in New Rochelle, NY, to Mary Murphy (nee Bergin) and John Murphy. From a very young age, she took on primary responsibility for looking after her father and three brothers (Jack, Ray, Marty) and their household, an early demonstration of her unique ability to tirelessly care for others, offer them abundant love, and create an environment that was comforting and nurturing to all.

Making the best of a difficult childhood, Peg, as one of her closest lifelong friends has observed, kept the ship afloat, never complained, and always maintained her sense of humor. These three qualities were among her most defining traits—and the most inspiring to all who knew and loved her. Though Peg often expressed the (highly erroneous) conviction that she had no particular talents and could point to no significant achievements, she could not be more wrong in her self-assessment. Everyone who met her was forever affected and inspired by her welcoming spirit, genuine concern for their well-being, quick and capacious intelligence, breadth and depth of knowledge, open-minded acceptance, supremely capable problem-solving, reassuring can-do attitude, discreet and unshowy industriousness, and brilliant sense of humor. She was always the smartest, the most capable, and the most level-headed person in the room. Peg was also frank—she would give it to you straight up. If you asked for advice or perspective, you had to be prepared for a serving of unadorned, unsweetened truth, which was actually her greatest token of love, concern, and respect.

After graduating from Blessed Sacrament high school in New Rochelle, Peg worked for the Neptune Storage and Moving Company in New Rochelle and Maxwell House in Hoboken, NJ. In 1961, she married John C. Kemmerer, a good friend of her brother Ray. For 65 years, they enjoyed a devoted, loving partnership that only grew stronger and happier with each passing year. Sharing a spirit of adventure and curiosity, they traveled widely throughout the American West, Canada, Europe, and Australia. They were avid New York Giants fans who held season tickets beginning in the 1960s and were able to score tickets to the teams’ first two winning Super Bowl appearances. Through the years, Peg and John were parishioners at St. Paul’s and the Aquinas Institute in Princeton and St. Charles Borromeo in Montgomery, NJ. Together, they raised four children: Allison Kemmerer, (Tom Hammond), Erin Hoesly, (Brian Hoesly), Maureen Kemmerer (Kathy Tessier), and John Kemmerer (Kristina Clark).

In many ways, Peg was also a parent figure to her children’s friends, many of whom considered her a second mother and her home a safe, nurturing haven. Peg was always the one they called when they needed help, good counsel, or a ride. Peg’s Country Squire station wagon could often be spotted around town, filled with kids hanging out the windows and rolling around the backseat and the way back, heading to or from the mall, movie theater, bowling alley, or a high school party. In any kind of emergency, everyone knew to call Peg, with the complete assurance that she would be more than willing to offer help, could solve any problem, and would make sure that everything turned out o.k.

Peg is survived by her husband, four children, two sons-in-law, two daughters-in-law, eight grandchildren (Olivia and Aidan Hammond; Jack, Charlie, and Ben Hoesly; Seamus and Murphy Gildner; and Gavin Wieland); and one great-grandson (Cillian Gildner), all of whom were present to envelop her in gratitude and love in her final hours. Peg was the beating heart of the family, providing a strong center that connected and bound us together tightly. With her passing, we feel hollow at the core, but each of us carries within us much of her imparted wisdom, energy, strength, grit, endurance, and unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in every situation. The family is so thankful to all Peg’s caregivers who offered her such devoted and attentive assistance and to all her and John’s friends and family members who wrote to, called, and visited them in her final years. We are so appreciative of all the memories, stories, tributes, and love that have poured in from all who knew Peg and were forever enriched and strengthened by her spirit. Please keep them coming! They are an enormous comfort to us.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/research).  Assisting the Kemmerer family is the Morris Funeral Home of Ipswich.  To send a letter of condolence to Peg’s family please go to:  MorrisFH.com .

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