Mary "Molly" Crane Peckham

Mary "Molly" Crane Peckham, 93, of Norwalk, passed away Sunday, October 18, 2026, at the Norwalk Memorial Home.

Molly was born Mary Crane on May 25, 1933, in Toledo, Ohio, the younger daughter of George and Mary Crane. At age eight, she chose her own middle name, Alice. Her family moved to Pontiac, Michigan, in 1941, and she graduated from Cranbrook Kingswood in Bloomfield Hills in 1951. At Denison University in Granville, Ohio, she sang in the Concert Choir, was a member of Delta Delta Delta, and graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in family life. There she met Charles Wright "Chuck" Peckham Jr., Denison class of 1954, and the two were married in July 1955. After two years in Texas while Chuck served as an Air Force pilot, they settled in Norwalk in 1957.

A longtime Norwalk resident, Molly worked in the family business, Perfected Furniture, Paint and Appliances at 30 West Main Street, a downtown mainstay from the 1950s into the 2000s. She was at one time a Welcome Wagon hostess, volunteered for Meals on Wheels and the Red Cross, and was a member of the Firelands Garden Club. She played in the ladies' golf leagues at Eagle Creek and the former Elks course and stayed active with her bridge club and exercise group.

Molly loved talking with people and learning about their families, and she soon knew their family trees better than they did. She relished her role as matriarch of her family, and everyone she met was treated to extensive details of her family's accomplishments. She loved her garden and her "handy habits" of sewing, knitting, and needlework. She was a lifelong fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Detroit Tigers, rarely missed CBS Sunday Morning, and cherished memories of Northern Michigan, where she vacationed and worked as a camp counselor in her youth. In her later years, she dearly loved her many friends, aides, and the staff at the Carriage House.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Charles W. Peckham Jr., in 2010, and her sister, Lucia Christman (1929–2008).

She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Charles W. "Rick" Peckham III and Anne of Needham, Massachusetts, and George Crane Peckham and Gillian of Mercer Island, Washington; her grandsons, Aaron Charles Peckham and David Wright Peckham of Massachusetts and Samuel Crane Peckham of Washington; her nieces, Sarah Frame of Glenview, Illinois, and Mary Ryan of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and her nephew, John Christman of Chicago, Illinois.

Molly will be laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in a private family service. A celebration of life will be held before the end of the year, with details to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Fisher-Titus Foundation in support of the Carriage House, 272 Benedict Avenue, Norwalk, OH 44857.