Margaret “Peggy” Bradley Davidson passed away peacefully on November 9, 2025, at 88 years of age, surrounded by her children and other family. Born February 9, 1937, in Lenoir, N.C., she developed a love of music as a piano student and member of the Lenoir High School band. A highly intelligent young woman, she skipped the fifth grade, which became a running joke for her children. Any time she didn’t know something, they claimed it must have been taught in that crucial fifth-grade year. She learned to play bridge from her parents, which became a favorite pastime for the remainder of her life. During her time at Greensboro College, she majored in music (piano) and Christian education.
Upon graduation, Peggy moved to Mooresville to work as the Director of Christian Education at Central United Methodist Church, a position she held until she married and started her family. As a member of First Presbyterian Church, she served in many capacities, including Deacon and Choir Director. She often played piano at church services, was the accompanist for the Mooresville Community Chorus and other performances, and taught piano to many young people in Mooresville.
A dedicated mother, Peggy poured her love into her four children and modeled for them the life of a Christian servant. Her home was always open to friends, which became a gathering place for dinner parties, bridge clubs, family get-togethers, sleepovers, and lake parties. She spent countless hours volunteering her time in support of her children, including leading Cub Scouts and chaperoning her children and their friends to music conferences in Montreat. After raising her family, she became a successful local real estate agent.
Peggy loved to travel and saw much of the world, beginning with a mission trip to Austria in 1957 to build lodging for Hungarian refugees. She accompanied her family on a road trip across the United States, spent time with her sister in Alaska, and traveled to Hawaii and many other domestic destinations. Internationally, she visited Central Europe, Scandinavia, Greece, Panama, and many other regions. A highlight was a trip to Africa, where the wildlife, scenery, and people made a lasting impression. She was fun-loving and gregarious and had many close friends whom she loved fiercely. Her friendships lasted a lifetime, as evidenced by the overwhelming outpouring of love in her final days.
Gran’s family will always remember her love of the beach and the trips to Holden Beach she graciously organized for them. She loved swimming in the ocean and the fresh seafood served at boisterous family dinners. Those trips became an annual highlight for all her children and grandchildren. Her family ensured she could attend and spend time on the beach through her 87th year, even as her health was failing. Gran’s greatest legacy is the loving, close-knit family whom she taught to play and laugh together and to always love and support one another. She was the glue that held them all together, and they will miss her greatly.
Peggy is survived by her four children, Martha (Stephanie), Clay (Susan), Brad (Beth), and Jim (Lisa); grandchildren, Matthew (Cally), Emily (Caleb), Michael (Rachel), Sarah, Will (Janice), Connor (Sally), Dan, Mary, and Neely; and her great-grandchildren, Wesley, Beckett, and arriving in January, Graham. In addition, she is survived by her sister, Sarah Lu Bradley (EJ). She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Margaret Bradley, and her brother, Bob Bradley.
There will be a memorial service for Peggy at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 30, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church in Mooresville (249 W McLelland Ave, Mooresville, NC 28115) with visitation at the church following.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Peggy’s honor to FeedNC, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Cavin-Cook Funeral Home, Mooresville, is proudly serving the Davidson family.