Margaret Byrd Barnes

Margaret "Peggy" Byrd Barnes, 85, died peacefully with family at her side in New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday, January 2, 2025, after a short illness. She was born on June 11, 1939, in Memphis, Tennessee to William and Charlotte Byrd. She grew up in Memphis, was a long time Houstonian, and spent her last years with her family in New Orleans. Peggy attended East High School in Memphis and graduated from St. Mary's Sewanee in 1957. She continued her education at Southwestern at Memphis, Memphis State University, and later the University of Houston. She continued to reunite with her best friends from East High School for many years. In Houston, she was a longtime professional bridal consultant in the bridal salons of Sakowitz and Neiman Marcus, before opening her own business, Brides by Peggy Barnes in the Galleria area. She was a communicant of The Church of St John The Divine. She had a wide circle of friends in Houston, was a proud Democrat, and worked the polls for a number of years during her retirement. She also enjoyed gardening, playing dominoes with her friends and caring for her two cats. She was an early adopter of computer technology which she used in her bridal business and later enjoyed to connect with family and friends through social media. She had a passion for family history and experienced great joy in retelling family stories. Upon moving to a retirement community in New Orleans three years ago, she made a point of meeting all of the other residents, and welcoming each new resident who entered their community. She quickly made friends and was surrounded by many who loved her. Peggy was loving and stood up for others that she felt had been wronged. She held strong opinions and could be outspoken. She was also creative and enjoyed sewing and crafting. Peggy was very independent, and had a resourceful, fearless and optimistic spirit. Her family recalls an incident that was typical of Peggy. When she was about 60, she was trying to figure out a way to pay for her expensive medications. She decided to drive alone to a Mexican border town, crossed over on foot, and hired a horse-drawn carriage to carry her from pharmacy to pharmacy. Her adventure included verbally fending off an unsavory man who was following her around trying to sell her something. In the end she was successful and loved telling the story. Her sister-in-law, Lee Byrd, recently described her as "a class act, just an extraordinary woman. Like her mother she battled her way along with that great laugh of hers, that wonderful dry wit and irony about all the strange ways of people in the world."

She is preceded in death by her parents, and siblings: Patty Sumner, Bill Byrd, Bobby Byrd and by her son John Anthony "Tony" Barnes. She is survived by her daughter Lyle (Mike) Montgomery of New Orleans, daughter Elise Barnes of Mobile, Alabama, and son Roy Barnes of Memphis, grandchildren Michael (Amy) Montgomery, Jr. of Houston Texas, Kate Montgomery (Matt) Demers of Lexington, Kentucky , Samuel Barnes of Memphis, and six great-grandchildren, Sadie, Grace, George and Frances Montgomery, and Claire and Eliza Demers.

A Memorial Service will be held in Memphis, TN on Wednesday February 5, at 10:00 AM at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1720 Peabody Ave, Memphis, TN 38104 followed by burial at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Arrangements are entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home of Covington, LA.

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