Extracted from The Cleveland Advocate (Cleveland, TX)
Wednesday, August 13, 2003

PEGGY DARLENE (BEAR) DARK

Peggy Bear was born to Harvey and Delores Bear on September 29th, 1957 in Anahuac, Texas. Peggy was the youngest daughter in a family of three girls and four boys. Peggy's father worked in the petroleum business therefore as a young child Peggy's family frequently moved according to the requirements of his job. Peggy grew as a little girl playing frequent games of hide and seek, charades, and dress-up skits. Peggy especially enjoyed being dressed up by her sisters in frills and fanciful clothes - in the costume of a cowgirl; and all dressed up in scarves as she and her sisters sang and danced to Ahab the Arab. During these early years of her life Peggy learned the importance of family. Like so many American families of the period before TV became all consuming - children played together in all sorts of games of make believe. Sometimes it was going to the river, or a to family drive-in to watch a movie - or deciding to all line-up holding hands across the room with a sibling on one end touching the AC and a sibling on the other end and touching the screen to see if it would shock them - it did. Through it all Peggy learned from childhood that caring for each other, being together with each other, being family mattered.

Peggy began High School in Houston, and then in the 9th grade she lived with her beloved Aunt, Betty Dubose, and attended Tarkington High School. Later, for her senior year she returned to Houston and graduated from McArthur High School. During her High School years Peggy played drums in the band, and began a lifelong support and appreciation for music. After high school she attended college at North Harris, and went to work as a legal secretary for an attorney in Cleveland. It was while working for that attorney that she met another young Cleveland attorney named Kent Dark. As her life continued, Peggy would work as a legal secretary for Kent and other attorneys. She would work for Texas American Title Company in Houston becoming the Executive Secretary to the Vice President of that company. And she would manage rental properties owned by she and her husband.

Peggy and Ken were married on September 3, 1982 in Junction Texas on their way to vacation and honeymoon in Colorado. The couple did not tell anyone that they were getting married. So when Peggy and Kent met up with Kent's parents, Shorty and Jane McClelland, and Jay and Beulah Grimmet in Colorado it was a surprise , a celebration, and the beginning of a tradition of Colorado camping vacations. It was also on this honeymoon trip that Peggy began the now famous `pancake story.'

During the adult years of her life Peggy was always a doer. Whether it was family, friends, school, community, or church she was one of those rare persons always working to help get good things done. She volunteered hours - days - to such things as band boosters, Boy Scouts, girl's softball team mom, and First United Methodist Church where she and her family were always instrumentally involved in everything good that happened.

At the center of Peggy's comforting and nurturing soul was her love of family; her mother and father, her adored husband; and especially her precious children whom she loved more than life itself. She rarely missed a band concert, a softball game, and whenever she told her kids that she would be there for them - she always was. Peggy's capacity to care and comfort always seemed boundless. She possessed such rare balance of spirit. She could be playful, and funny - playing chase with Ben and a cookie sheet; mountain climbing in Colorado' posing for a photo with a stuffed bear. She could just as easily be so very insightful - summarizing in a couple of sentences what others could not say in volumes. Peggy exhibited that most rare of gifts; she was a realist without being bitter or negative. Perhaps it was because throughout her life she focused more on loving than being loved - probably that was why so many loved her so much.

Since August 1, 2003 Peggy continues to love and comfort us from Heaven. Peggy was preceded in death by her uncle, Allen Dubose; and by her Mother-in-law, Faye Dark.

She is survived by her husband, Charles Kent Dark; her daughter, Kimberly Alexandra Dark; her son Benjamin Russell Dark; her daughter, Rachel Lee Dark; her mother and father, Harvey E. Bear Sr. and Delores Jean Bear; her aunt, Betty Dubose; her father-in-law, Charles Dark; her brother-in-law, Russell Dark; her brother and sister-in-law, Craig and Martha Bounds; her aunt, Ruth Russell Allen; her sisters, Connie Jean Meuth, and Bonnie Bear Deloquist; her brothers, Harvey E. Bear Jr., Jerry Wayne Bear, Jimmy Daryl Bear, Larry Edward Bear; a multitude of aunts, uncles, nieces, cousins, and loving friends.