Margaret “Peggy” Alice Kievlan Nulph was born on November 28, 1934 in Kansas
City, Missouri. Her family of 7 migrated west to Santa Cruz, California for clear skies
and fresh air. As a kid, Peggy helped as a spotter on West Cliff, on the lookout for
Japanese airplanes during WWll. She attended Holy Cross school, played the accordion
and ran around town with her best friend Ellen “Hollywood” Nulph, who had moved
north from Westwood, Los Angeles.
In 1953 she married Ellen’s brother, Joseph Newton Nulph, who was a dashing
young Korean War veteran. After he left the Army, they lived in the first 2 story house
on Modesto Ave in Santa Cruz but soon moved to Bonny Doon to raise their (eventual)
9 children on a farm. Peggy was an incredibly hard-working woman: For years she
cooked 3 meals a day on a wood burning stove, used an old-fashioned wringer for
laundry, made clothing, canned vegetables from their garden, fed and watered the pigs
and rabbits, prepared the deer her husband hunted and hosted large family gatherings.
She did all this without complaining or a driver’s license.
Peggy’s life was filled with children, grandchildren, parties, games and food. There
was always ice cream in the freezer, tapioca in the fridge and a Bundt cake on the
counter. Peggy & Joe hosted abalone feeds, Memorial Day BBQ’s, Halloween, Thanksgiving
and Christmas. There were Halloween costume parties with a big bowl of dry
ice punch and late-night scavenger hunts for the adults.Thanksgivings were easily 50
person affairs, with Peggy’s deviled eggs & highly coveted pickled green beans and a
whole table of pies (including mincemeat and lemon meringue) with Cool Whip.
Christmas involved more than one tree, cioppino feasts, at least 3 different jellos salads
and brandy-soaked fruit.
Peggy and Joe often watched their grandchildren overnight. The kids watched
movies from Peggy’s large VHS collection, helped baked her famous chunky apple
cake, learned to sew, picked plums from the orchard, read books from her library filled
with children’s books and learned how to play games like Uno, Skip-Bo, Yahtzee and
cribbage. Breakfasts in the morning always involved peppered bacon accompanied by
big band jazz on the radio.
Peggy’s door was always open for family and friends to stop in for dinner. There was
always something delicious cooking, often with veggies from the garden, a dessert
made by Peggy, and soda, red wine & Scotch in the drink cabinet. And of course, See’s
bridge mix, chewy Applets & Cotlets and pillowy-soft butter mints on the coffee table.
Peggy was always busy, she rarely sat down, and when she did, she kept her mind
busy too. She always had a puzzle going (including the nearly impossible singe color
or double-sided ones), Reader’s Digest and a book of word search by her chair and a
glass of well-deserved Johnny Walker scotch after dinner.
After her husband passed away in 2021, Peggy moved in with her daughter Mary
Jessen where she lived the last 3 years of her life enjoying puzzles, short walks, sharing
WWll fiction books with her granddaughter, Natalia Flechsig, daily visits from her
great-grandsons, Jack & Ford, or sitting in the sunshine, enjoying some peace and quiet
after living such a busy life.
Like many of her generation, Peggy was a survivor. She is survived by her children
Kathleen Perez ( Joe), Joseph Nulph (Denise), Mary Jessen (David), Tina Gonzalez
(Charlie), Jim Nulph, Theresa Shubin (Nick) and Ramona Nulph. She is also survived
by 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two
sons, John William Nulph and Jeff Daniel Nulph, and her husband Joseph Newton
Nulph.
Peggy, Mother, Grandmother, Grandma-Great, you were so loved and will be missed.
Peggy will be laid to rest beside her husband Joseph at Holy Cross Cemetery.
A Celebration of Life is being planned May 11 at noon at her daughter’s ranch.
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