Customers at Peggy’s Beauty Salon in Marysville could look forward to a hug when they entered and when they left the salon run by Peggy Marks.
Marks opened her business in 1957 on State Street, then moved to a home salon until she became ill four years ago. Marks died Jan. 15 after a stroke.
Peggy’s Beauty Salon was the only one on State Street, said Madeline Smith, who got perms at the shop, where she enjoyed talking about her two sons.
Marks and her husband, John, raised four boys. John Marks died in 1980, and his widow never remarried.
The family came from Milwaukee, Wis., in 1957 and opened the salon. The original shop was where Judd &Black is today.
“My parents purchased the property from the Jansha family who owned Jansha Tanning Co. just a block down the street,” said the Marks’ son, John.
“There was just a small bachelor cabin on that property, close to the railroad tracks. My grandfather worked with my father to pull that cabin forward on skids to just off State, with room left for parking.”
After renovations, they hung a sign that read “Peggy’s.”
“My mom was the proudest person. She was an instant success with more customers than she could handle. Coffee was always hot, goodies were usually available and the conversation was good. She was an excellent beautician. Ladies loved her work and kept coming back.”
Marks used old-fashioned brush rollers, recalled Ted Mikula, whose little girls went to Marks 35 years ago.
“They always came home beautiful,” Mikula said “She was quite a lady.”
Peggy Marks is survived by her son, John Marks; son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Sharon Marks; son and daughter-in-law, Tim and Sharon Marks; son and daughter-in-law, Jeff and Rebecca Marks; grandchildren Christopher Marks, Damon Marks, Sara Johnson, Troy Marks and Jason Marks; great-grandchildren Gary Marks, Christopher Marks and Lindsay Marks; sisters Helen Dennis and Janet Holter; brother-in-law Henry Borchlewicz; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Judd &Black bought the property in 1972, and Marks began working out of her home. She also visited nursing homes to do hair.
“She took care of her ‘little old ladies,’ as she was then becoming one,” her son said. “She would pamper them, love them, talk with them and make them feel a sense of worth. She had a gift for that, and she gave it freely.”
She loved working out of her home.
“The kitchen was right there for a quick bite to eat. She could take a quick 15-minute nap while a woman was under the dryer. It was her domain, and she loved it. This was also the time she developed a stronger and deeper relationship with her neighbors that continued until the day she died.”
Teklas Zeiliss was a regular customer and good friend. She said getting her hair done took all day because they chatted, had lunch and then might go shopping at garage sales.
When you entered her home, Peggy Marks wanted to know if you were hungry, grandchildren Troy and Sara Marks said. She talked to everybody at the grocery store, loved dogs and was a hard worker, they said.
When Kathleen Dietlin, a friend from St. Mary’s Catholic Church, had to undergo chemotherapy, Peggy Marks showed her how to take care of her hair.
She had little time for TV and loved to read. The last two years, she continued to attend Mass even though she had to use a wheelchair.
“Many would come up after communion on their way back to their seats to give her a big hug,” John Marks said. “She touched people.”
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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