Peggy Ann (Collins) Cookson, age 72, of Springfield, Missouri, went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 21, 2022, at her home after a short illness. Peggy was born a preemie to James (Trud) & Ardith (Taylor) Collins on June 24, 1950, in Springfield. She was a 1968 graduate of Strafford High School, where she was a cheerleader and had many, many friends. Peggy was united in marriage to the love of her life Mike Cookson on August 24, 1970, in Dallas, Texas. The couple shared 52 wonderful years of marriage. They were blessed with 3 children, Amy (Cookson) Letterman, Michael Cookson, Bradly Cookson; and 9 grandchildren. Peggy worked 10 years at Southwestern Bell Telephone and 30 years at Assemblies of God Headquarters, retiring in 2013.

Peggy always carried with her an unconditional love for her family and prayed for us all daily. She was baptized at an early age and was a life-long member at Pleasant Valley Interdenominational Church. She taught the pre-K Sunday School class there for many years.

Peggy’s devotion to family was shown in anything she did. She never wanted to miss Sunday dinners at her parent’s house with all 6 of her siblings and their families also attending. This love of family continued when she began hosting the Collins Family Thanksgiving with usually over 50 in attendance. She also loved to shower her kids and grandkids with way too many gifts and special dinners for birthdays and Christmas. One of Peggy’s greatest enjoyments were her grandkids. She loved to babysit and spend time with them all. She never wanted to miss a game or program that they were involved in. Of course, she would always say with such certainty that her grandchild was the best player or performer and was very opinionated about the officiating and coaching. She was the grandma who would travel as far away as Oklahoma to not miss a tournament and she was loved by all. Peggy and Mike loved to travel. They drove the southern states to Florida many times, many western states, several national parks and up the east coast, sometimes traveling with family. But, Peggy would always say the beach was her favorite place.

Peggy loved her flowers, shopping, sitting on the front porch visiting with family, lunch with her friends (“the girls” she would say), decorating for the holidays, watching the Cooking Channel, St Louis Cardinal baseball and, every evening with her husband Mike, simply watching their favorite old shows. If she missed your call, she would immediately call you back, because she always worried her family needed something and just wanted to hear our voice. She would always come to the rescue happily, if we did need something. Peggy was incredibly proud of her family. But the truth is we all would be nothing, if it wasn’t for her. She is our hero and made us who we are today.

Peggy was preceded in death by her parents James and Ardith Collins. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Carl (Mike) Cookson; children, Amy (Cookson) Letterman and husband Lance, Michael Cookson and wife Kim, Bradly Cookson and wife Trisha; grandchildren, Blake, Brett, Madison, Laken, Aaliyah, Riker, Hawken, Kyer, and Riggs; sister, Connie Bott; brothers, David Collins, Tom Collins, James Collins, Ted Collins, and Chris Collins.

A visitation for Peggy will be held on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at Greenlawn Funeral Home North in Springfield (3506 N National Avenue). Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, at 12:00 pm at Greenlawn Funeral Home North. Burial will immediately follow at Danforth Cemetery near Strafford. The family would like to thank all those who have expressed their thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies.