Margaret Erlandsen

Margaret “Peggy” Jean Erlandsen (née O’Neill), age 95, of Phoenix, Ariz., passed away peacefully Sept. 30, 2023.

Margaret was born on Aug. 20, 1928, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her mother and father were Margaret and Paul O’Neill, originally from Kilkenny, Ireland. One of nine siblings, she attended Our Lady of Angels Grammar School and Fort Hamilton High School.

Margaret met and married her husband, Peter Erlandsen, in 1946 at the end of WWII. She became the mother of six beautiful and loving children.

The family left Brooklyn in 1972 and moved to Fountain Hills. Her husband passed away in 1987 after a long illness, after which she lived in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas. Her youngest sister, Rosemary Mulligan, moved to Arizona with her girls in 1980. They remained very close, traveling the world together, until Rosemary’s passing. She was kept busy with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Margaret was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a wonderful friend. She was the last of her generation on both sides of her family, preceded in death by her parents, eight siblings, husband, youngest daughter, Evelyn Erlandsen, and many other beloved family members.

Her warm smile and beautiful blue eyes will be missed. She was a true Irish Rose.