Margaret "Peggy" Moreland Stathos, of Lincoln, passed away on June 8, 2021 at the age of 95. She was the beloved wife of the late Charles Anthony Stathos and the devoted mother of Philip Stathos and his wife Alice Murphy, and Stephanie Stathos and her husband, Stephen Smith. She was the cherished grandmother of Nicholas, Cameron and Alexander Stathos. Peggy was born in Salem, MA, in 1925. Her father, Philip A. Moreland, was a cotton classer who owned Bay Colony Textiles, and her mother, Madeline A. Prescott Moreland, volunteered for the Red Cross. As an only child, Peggy developed a great love of nature, animals and reading early on– all three of which accompanied her throughout her life. Her other passion was music which was fostered through her piano lessons. Both a gifted pianist and a born scholar, Peggy received a performance diploma from the New England Conservatory in 1946 and a B.A. in musicology from Boston University under Karl Geiringer in 1949 at a time when she was told women should not waste time pursuing a career. Pursue a career she did, and as a concert pianist, she garnered an impressive array of appearances as a soloist including multiple performances with the Boston Pops and the Esplanade Orchestras under Arthur Fielder and numerous tours throughout the United States and Europe. A feature article about Peggy and her burgeoning career in the Boston Post newspaper in 1954 was titled "One in a Thousand." After meeting with much success as a pianist in the United States, and with recommendations from Arthur Rubenstein and Andre Kostelanetz, Peggy was awarded the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst fellowship from the West German government in 1957. The grant allowed her to continue her piano studies in Berlin and in Munich and partake in masterclasses with Edwin Fischer and Bruce Hungerford. From 1962-1964 she toured throughout Europe under the auspices of the US State Department and Amerika Haus cultural programs. Peggy's years in Europe were the source of many great memories and accomplishments, but two stories delighted her then young children above the rest—when she performed for Prince Rainer III of Monaco at his palace, and when she was hired as a substitute-pianist for George Balanchine, his dancers and a group of singers two days before a performance in Germany. As the review of the Balanchine concert states, the singers had lost their voices from last-minute over-rehearsing and were met with spit balls and hisses from the audience, ultimately getting booed off the stage. Peggy married Charles in 1964, honeymooned in Greece and returned to the United States to begin her next chapter. Philip and Stephanie were born shortly thereafter and thus began her new life as a wife and a mother. These "child-rearing years" ushered in a new career direction as well, and she shifted her focus from performance to music history, teaching and kids! Relocating the family was next, and the move from Beacon Hill to bucolic Lincoln came in 1970. She missed the energy and vitality of the city terribly at first, and Erma Bombeck's satirical articles about "life in suburbia" were pinned on each bulletin board in her home. But, in spite of that, she shared her love of music, nature and reading with the next generation, for which her adult children are eternally grateful. Many a festivity and birthday party was held at the "Lincoln house" and celebrations always included live chamber music with whomever was present and had an instrument to play. In the 1970's and 1980's Peggy undertook the study of keyboard instruments and music of 18th and 19th century Concord (MA). As part of the Bicentennial, she researched the Concord Museum's keyboard instrument collection and studied letters, newspapers, music collections and diaries of the time. In 1982, as the Concord Museums' early American music specialist, she designed an interactive class for 4th graders about the history of music in Concord, for which the museum won two grants from the Massachusetts Council for the Arts and Humanities. In 1999, she was commissioned to write six biographies of American musicians and instrument makers, including the Steinways, for the American National Biography, Oxford University Press. Peggy was also an avid animal activist. As one of the early members of the Animal Welfare Institute, founded by Christine Stevens in 1951, she first wrote to and then met Christine at her apartment in New York City to declare her allegiance to the cause. Later, in the 1990's, she served on the Board of Directors of the New England Antivivisection Society and wrote extensively on animal protection issues. She wrote letters to legislators endlessly, picketed and attended protests to help those without a voice. In 1995 as co-chair of the NEAVS Centennial project, Peggy authored the complete history of the organization. Columbia University captured both of her passions and recorded an oral history of her life of music and animal advocacy in 2000 which can be found in their oral history archives. Always a voracious reader and conversationalist, her love of the Transcendentalists and especially Emerson gave foundation to what she called her "inner life". Her library of books, copious notes in each of them and collected articles literally filled every room of her home. Nicholas, Cameron and Alexander, her grandsons, arrived in the early 2000's, and Peggy eagerly engaged the youngsters in meaningful discussions about philosophers, history, nature, and the heroes of the world. She continued to teach piano lessons throughout her 70's and 80's and her studio of students included her grandson Cameron, which brought her tremendous joy! Cameron went on to study jazz piano at the Rivers Conservatory, and Peggy was gratified and incredibly proud to have given him his start. Peggy continued to perform until age 92 as the pianist of "The Festival Trio". On her 90th birthday, her one wish was to go canoeing on Todd Pond, which she did in her most elegant linen clothes! She was true to herself to the end. We were blessed to have called this remarkable person "Mom." A celebration of Peggy's life will be held at a future date. Donations in her name can be made to The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM.org) or to the Lincoln Council on Aging. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.