Peggy Starkey

Peggy Starkey ObituaryObituary published on Legacy.com by Mission Park Funeral Chapels Cherry Ridge on Mar. 9, 2026.PEGGY STARKEY OBITUARYMargaret "Peggy" Eugenia Starkey-a retired college professor and co-founder and Chair of the Interreligious Council of San Antonio (ICOSA)-was born in San Antonio, Texas, on August 13, 1941. She died Monday, February 23, 2026.Peggy graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 1959 and earned a BA with distinction in Psychology from SMU in Dallas in 1963. While at SMU, she was recognized by Who's Who Among American Universities and Colleges and admitted into Mortar Board. She was also a member of Delta Gamma Sorority. She completed postgraduate work at Union Theological Seminary, where she received a Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Theology, and Master of Philosophy, followed by a Ph.D. in Philosophy.She taught in the religion department of Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., from 1980–1989. Her career then shifted back to San Antonio, where she taught at Our Lady of the Lake University before concluding her academic career in the religion department of the University of the Incarnate Word from 1992–2021.Peggy's contribution to the San Antonio community is the co-founding of the Interreligious Council of San Antonio (ICOSA) with her husband, Archie Nations, in 1996. The Council was established to build mutual respect and understanding among religious communities. As Chair, Peggy brought together representatives from 12 different faiths. It is the first interfaith group in San Antonio that included members from the Eastern religions. She led the Council until March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced its closure.Peggy was invited by San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza to become a member of the United San Antonio Commission. She also served a two-year term as the President of the National Society of Buddhist-Christian Studies from 2002–2004. An avid nature lover, Peggy spent many hours enjoying the wildlife at her home in Garden Ridge.She is preceded in death by her parents, Col. Joseph Wheeler Starkey and Irene Dorothy (Vogt) Starkey; her husband, Archie Lee Nations; her sister, Jo Ann Starkey Garner; and her niece, Vivian Garner Pine. She is survived by her nieces, Margaret Susan Garner Gillis, and Kathryn Lynn Garner; great-nephews Robert Steven Pine Jr. (Deanda), Nicolas Aiden Scott, and Andrew James Gillis; and great-great-niece and nephews Ellie Pine, James Pine, and Garner Pine.MEMORIAL SERVICE THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1:00 P.M. ALAMO HEIGHTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH – GARDEN CHAPEL 825 EAST BASSE ROADPeggy is interred in the family plot at the Alamo Masonic Cemetery.To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.