Margaret “Peggy” (Kelly) Barclay passed away peacefully on January 23, 2026. Peggy was born on June 12, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York, to the late John Patrick Kelly and Grace Margaret (Jeske) Kelly. She grew up in Brooklyn and Queens and graduated from All Saints High School. After raising her family in Calverton and Westhampton Beach, Peggy returned to the city she loved, spending more than twenty years in Forest Hills, Queens.

Peggy raised three children while pursuing her own passions and accomplishments. Creative and endlessly talented, she excelled at sewing, making Halloween costumes for her children and grandchildren, tap dancing with the Re-Dancers Dance School, and generously giving her time organizing charity events at St. John the Evangelist School in Riverhead, New York, including founding the annual Breakfast with Santa. She graduated with distinction from Suffolk County Community College, earning a degree in Interior Design and membership in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. While there, she joined the cross-country team and was named an Academic All-American. An avid runner, Peggy completed 16 New York City Marathons and earned numerous awards including Female Runner of the Year with the Forest Park Runners Club. Although she competed in countless races, it was training while laughing with friends from the Mike Keohane Running Group where she felt like she really won.

At the age of 50, Peggy became a flight attendant with Delta Air Lines and spent 25 years filled with remarkable destinations, treasured friendships, and stories she loved to share. She especially loved traveling with friends and family, creating lasting memories across North America, Europe, and Asia with her children, grandchildren, and her best friend, Joyce Ricciardelli. Peggy never met a stranger, and her gift for conversation, laughter, and making people feel truly heard touched everyone she met.

Peggy leaves her children Justin (Kristina) Barclay, Megan (John) Eagan, and Ryan (Elisabeth) Barclay; and her grandchildren Malcolm and Elsa Barclay, Kay, Jack, and Grace Eagan, and Emmett and Parker Barclay. She also leaves her siblings Patricia, Rosemary (Vincent), and John (Barbara); her stepsisters Karen (Donald) and Nancy (Thomas); nieces and nephews; her former husband Anthony Barclay; and many cherished friends. Peggy was predeceased by her beloved sister Kathleen (Kelly) Murray; her brother-in-law William Collins; father John Patrick Kelly; her second father, Wells Aumuller; and her cherished mother Grace (Jeske) Aumuller.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Margaret Barclay’s name to New York Road Runners. 

Visiting hours will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on January 28, 2026, at Fox Funeral Home, 98-07 Ascan Avenue, Forest Hills, New York 11375. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 AM on January 29, 2026, at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, 110-06 Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills, New York 11375.