Peggy was the daughter of the late Dr. Thomas Bolling Gay and Margaret Elizabeth Gay.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John (Jack) Anderson Simmons, Jr. She is survived by sister-in-law Suzanne Simmons Schmidt of Marietta, Ga.; her daughter, Gay Simmons Colyer of Atlanta, Ga.; her sons and their spouses, Dr. John A. Simmons III and Helen U. Simmons of Peachtree Corners, Ga., Drs. Richard (Sandy) S. and Deborah (Debbie) A. Simmons of LaGrange, Thomas Bolling (Bo) and Sherri F. Simmons of Atlanta;. grandchildren: Dr. Rob Simmons, Wilkie Colyer, Elizabeth (Rob) Sellers, Elizabeth Colyer, Andy Simmons, Pat Simmons, and Anna Simmons; a niece, Sally Frady and Richard Frady and a great niece, Allison (Thor) Nissen. In addition, the family wants to acknowledge and thank her long time and loving caregivers; Ida Holloway, Louise Cook, Daisy Bussey and Rencina Green.
 

Peggy was born on April 6, 1926, in Athens, Georgia, and grew up in the Ansley Park area of Atlanta. She was a loyal member of the First United Methodist Church of West Point. She taught Sunday school, led her missionary circle and participated in many activities of the Church. Peggy was also very active in her community as a board member of Goodwill Industries and assisted with creating the Head Start program in West Point in the 1970s. She and her husband, Jack, founded Simmons Travel in 1978 and served the LaGrange and Valley communities for more than ten years. Peggy and Jack enjoyed traveling the world on FAM trips. In addition, she enjoyed her bridge group, her Profit Makers investment club, her Fellowship Sunday School class and her garden club.
 

Peggy attended Washington Seminary in Atlanta, Ga. and Converse College in Spartanburg. She and her husband, Jack, were married on November 14, 1947 at the First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.