Obituary of Peggy T. Haas

Peggy Tinker Haas of Damariscotta died October 30, 2022, at the age of 97 after a long life, and a short illness. She is survived by her daughter, Anne B. Haas, of Yarmouth, Maine. She was predeceased by her dear sons, Warren J. Haas, Jr (Jay), William H. Haas (Bill) in 2011 and by her husband, Warren James Haas (Jim) in 2016.

She was born on October 14, 1925, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Anne Mary and Harris William (Bill) Tinker. After her father’s death when Peggy was 7, she and her mother moved to Seattle to be closer to some of their family. Her mother remarried several years later, to Al Jones, an entrepreneur who owned a fisheries cannery in Alaska, worked in a gold mine, and later owned a small bush airline and flew customers all over Alaska. Thus began Peggy’s travels, including a summer spent in a gold mining town when she was 11. She later lived with her aunt, and went to high school in Dallas, Texas, and college at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. She then moved to Alaska to finish college at the University of Alaska, while her mother ran her husband’s small airline, which eventually became part of Alaska Airlines. It was while Peggy was finishing her BA that she met her future husband, Warren James Haas (Jim) of Racine, Wisconsin, who was stationed at the Us Army base in Alaska.

Peggy moved to Chicago after graduation and worked at Marshall Field & Co as a fashion consultant, until her marriage. After her husband completed college in Indiana and Wisconsin, they moved to Baltimore, then New York, Philadelphia, back to New York, Washington DC and finally Maine. Jim’s work as a university librarian offered the initial opportunities for travel, and they saw much of the world from Europe to South America, Japan and China. Outside of work-related travel they saw Venezuela, Norway, and even Antarctica, where they saw tens of thousands of penguins. They were avid bird watchers and sought those experiences wherever they were. A young grandson once informed the family that there were 119 bird prints in their DC home. And books...both Peggy and Jim were avid readers, and every room had walls of full bookshelves.

Peggy was a wonderful cook, hostess, and neighbor. Her grandchildren, as toddlers or as 40-year-olds, headed for the two big cookie tins on the kitchen island the second they walked in the door, whether from Maine, New York or Washington State. They were always full-of oatmeal crispies, and chocolate chip with her signature touch of orange. The hardest thing was giving up the giant Kitchen Aid mixer, as her eyesight failed, and she moved to assisted living and was no longer able to bake. Peggy was also a world class seamstress, making tiny doll clothes, or tailored suits. She started teaching her daughter to sew when she was barely in school, a skill that her daughter has always cherished.

She was active over her lifetime in various volunteer charitable organizations from the League of Women Voters, to local chapters of PEO, and various women’s groups. She was a dedicated donor to a huge number of charities, supporting the arts, educational, environmental, and intellectual interests.

She is survived by her daughter, Anne Bruington Haas (Yarmouth, Me), 8 grandchildren: Colin A. Shankland (Machias, Me) and Benjamin H. Shankland (New York, NY), Warren J. Haas III (New York, NY) Charles R. Haas (Kingston, NY), Pauline A. E. Haas (New York, NY); Louis C. Haas (Seattle) Jane T. Haas (Seattle) and Sydney M. (New York and Seattle), and 3 great- grandchildren, John (Machias), Eliza (Seattle) and River (Kingston, NY). Her daughters-in-law, Regina H. Paul (New York) and Christine M. Carr (Seattle), and her daughter’s partner, Rick Wakeland (Kennebunkport, Me), also mourn her passing.

A celebration of Peggy’s life will be held in the spring or summer, as yet to be determined, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Newcastle. Her family suggests that in lieu of flowers, one might wish to make a donation to The Damariscotta River Association, or to the Skidompha Public Library.