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Peggy Lee Mousaw Colton - A prayer service for Peggy Lee Mousaw, 66, will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 3 p.m. at the Buck Funeral Home in Colton, with Pastor Ryan Schneider presiding. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Mound Cemetery, followed by a Celebration of Life gathering at the Raquette Valley Fish and Game Club in South Colton. Family and friends may call at the Buck Funeral Home in Colton on Saturday, June 20th from 11 a.m. until the time of the service. Peggy passed away on June 9, 2026 at her home with family at her side.
Peggy Lee Mousaw, was born January 21, 1960 and was the eldest daughter of Lee Raymond Mousaw and Jane Rose Green. Lee was the son of Michael and Estella Mousaw, Canton, one of 19 children. Jane was the daughter of Arthur and Grace Green, Colton, one of 18 children.
Peggy is survived by her siblings: Bonnie (James) Emburey, Christopher Mousaw, Bridget (Thomas) Matthie, Karen Mousaw. Her brother Kevin Mousaw, predeceased her. She is also survived by her nephews and nieces: Levi Mousaw, Gregory Emburey, Thomas Emburey, Devin Matthie, Garrett Messner, Marissa Messner and Madisyn Mousaw and great nephews and nieces: Clay Emburey, Natalie Emburey and Margo Dukett. Peggy is also survived by her long-time partner, Andre Karl, Lake Placid as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Peggy was voted the most beautiful baby in 1960 and her family received a custom photo package. Peggy graduated from Colton-Pierrepont Central School in 1977 with honors and a Regents degree in Math and Science. She also majored in business and art. She graduated from SUNY Potsdam in 1981 with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics with a minor in Finance. Peggy was the captain of the cheerleaders for the 1981 SUNY Potsdam NCAA championship basketball team. She worked on her Masters at SUNY and with the University of Maryland, Weisbaden, Germany. Peggy married James Patrick JosephWhittington in 1984 and they divorced in 1993. They had no children. Peggy's professional career was in finance. Positions held professionally were: Augsbury Corporation - Accounting, Ogdensburg; DND Teletronics, Utica - Procurement Manager; North Country Community College, Saranac Lake - Assistant Dean of Business Services; George S. May Consulting, Park Ridge, IL - Consulting Regional Project Manager; International Profit Associates, Buffalo Grove, IL - Consulting Project Manager; St. Lawrence County, Canton- Deputy Budget Officer; Lake Placid Village, Lake Placid - Village Treasurer; Cortland County, Cortland - Director of Budget and Finance/Acting County Administrator; Senator Patty Ritchie-Constituent Liaison; Oswego County, Oswego - Financial Specialist; NYS Supreme Court - SCAR Hearing Officer. Peggy retired from full time NYS Local Government in 2022, but remained active as a NYS municipal consultant the rest of her lifetime. Peggy received numerous awards and recognition throughout her professional career: 1987-"YoungCareer Woman of the Year", Tri-Lakes Business and Professional Women's (BPW) Association; 2000 - NYS Certified Woman Owned Business; 2009 - Credentialed Municipal Finance Officer, NYS Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA); 2009-2015 Member of MEUA (Municipal Electric Utility Association) Audit Committee, Syracuse; 2016-2017, Central New York Regional and Economic Development Board, Syracuse; 2020 - NYS Certified Assessor. She served on the NYS GFOA Northern and Central Regional Boards for a total of six years and presented at both the NYS GFOA and the NYCOM (NY Conference of Mayors) annual conference in Albany regarding ARPA (American Rescue Plan - COVID Fund) grant funding. Peggy was a member of the SUNY Potsdam Local Government Conference for 24 years and served as the Chair of the Planning Committee and Conference for the last four years. In 2020, Peggy served as one of the two selected members per state, to serve on the Federal nationwide BRIC grant review panel to determine who received funding. In 2025, she worked with the National League of Cities and assisted 360 municipalities nationwide in ARPA filings. This resulted in an invitation to attend and participate in the USA GFOA Conference in Washington DC on the ARPA session. Peggy was a strong advocate for the things she believed in and the community and as such, was often subjected to false accusations which impacted her personal and professional life. In spite of these injustices, she had a very successful career and held a stellar reputation in the NYS and National Finance communities. Outside of her professional life, she was very involved in athletics, sports and volunteering. She loved construction, music, art, traveling, extreme whitewater rafting, all forms of skiing, horseback riding and snowmobiling. Peggy took eight weeks off from her consulting career to serve as the Finance Officer for St. Lawrence County Hospice during an extreme transition period. She volunteered as an official with USA Luge for 18 years, at the Olympic level for the last 14 years. For the last five years, she coordinated training and races for the US Luge officials throughout the United States. In 2010, she took second place in the Luge National Masters Race in Lake Placid. In December 2025, she served as the Race Director for the Lake Placid Luge World Cup which was a 2026 pre-Olympic qualifier. For the last four years, she has also been an Olympic level official for Bobsled-Skeleton. She has officiated World Championships and World Cups in Lake Placid, Park City and Whistler. Peggy has served as a volunteer with ORDA for over 40 years in ski jumping, hockey, figure skating, biathlon, cross-country skiing and their old concert venue. She has volunteered with athlete registration for the Empire State Winter Games for the last 14 years. She also assisted with the coordination of the annual Higley Flow Association Round the Islands Kayak Race in Colton. Peggy wishes to be remembered for her intelligence, generosity and drive. She truly loved her family and friends and will be greatly missed in both her personal and professional life. Donations in Peggy's memory may be made to US Luge Association, 57 Church Street, Lake Placid, NY or to Hospice and Palliative Care of the St. Lawrence Valley and memories and condolences may be shared online at www.buckfuneralhome.com. The Buck Funeral Home in Colton is serving the family of Peggy Lee Mousaw.
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