Good evening.  My name is Ellie Benz.  I am a member of the Rotary Club of Branchville, NJ, the home club of PDG Peggy Mader.

 

My first district conference experience happened in Annapolis, MD, as PDG Maurie Mader ended his year as District Governor for District 7470.  Maurie made a special presentation at his conference that I will never forget.  It was when a photo of Peggy came up on the screen with the title, District Angel.  I was very touched by that tribute, but I didn’t know how prophetic it would be.  Maurie was thanking his dear wife Peggy for all of her hard work on making his conference happen.  And she really did.

 

Over the next several years, I came to know Peggy not just in her role as Maurie’s wife and District Angel, but through her leadership on the District level.  Peggy lived her life by Rotary’s Four Way test.  Whatever she volunteered to do, she stepped up and did it.

 

During her interview for her candidacy for the position of District Governor for 2017-18, she was asked what made her qualified to be a DG.  Her answer still rings in my ears:  “Rotary is my passion!”

 

Peggy’s dream district conference was a cruise to Bermuda.  She asked Branchville Rotary to serve on the conference committee under the direction of Bob Peters, conference chair.  We did and we all worked hard to make the dream become a reality.  Unfortunately, life got in the way for Peggy and halfway through her DG year, she was stricken by a rare and aggressive form of cancer.  All during the rest of her term she spent hours in treatment both chemo and radiation.  The conference loomed near, but her doctors said Peggy, you can’t go.  Bob, and all of the Branchville Rotarians were able to pay it forward and became Peggy’s district angels and made the conference a reality on board the Anthem of the Seas.  We sailed without Peggy and Maurie, heartbreaking for all of us, but they were with us in spirit.  Her message to the plenary session was truly a Peg-ism:  She told us that despite that fact that she had no hair, couldn’t talk or swallow, and could hardly get around, she was still thinking of us.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as Bob read her conference message.

 

The rest you all know.  Peg was stricken on her way to our regular club meeting the week after her birthday.  Her earthly voice is silenced, but I can still hear that District Angel’s voice:  Rotary is my passion and a thousand thanks to you all for making my dream come true.

 

Thank you.