Margaret "Peggy" A. Tarantino

Margaret (Peggy) A. (Foley) Tarantino, the family matriarch, passed away on January 22, 2026, in Worcester, MA, surrounded by her children. Her combination of intelligence, strength, discipline, and overwhelming kindness will be impossible to replace.

Peggy was born in Cambridge, MA on September 7, 1947, as the fourth daughter (and fifth child) of Nora and Thomas Foley. She was raised in Somerville, MA with her four sisters and one brother in a house on Franklin Street and had fond memories of her childhood. Shortly after graduating high school, she met her future husband and partner-in-crime, Paul Tarantino. They married on April 25, 1968, and spent the next 55 years together prior to Paul’s passing in 2023. They always lived in Massachusetts, first in Somerville and then Wakefield before settling in Wilmington where they occupied the same home for 29 years and raised their four children, Lori, Paul Jr., Carrie, and Leanne. In 2002, they moved to Clinton, a location central to their children and grandchildren.

Peggy and Paul were co-owners and operators of a small grocery store in West Peabody for several years before selling the business and pursuing other career opportunities. Peggy then went to work for the Town of Wilmington where she spent most of her career as an administrator, reporting directly to the town manager. She loved her job, and she loved the town; she took great pride in helping Wilmington become an even better place to live and raise a family.

An amazing baker, Peggy often arrived at family holiday celebrations with half a dozen different types of pie and her famous chocolate cake. She also loved to sew and to knit and delighted in making “Grammy Jammies” for her grandchildren each Christmas. Spending time with her grandchildren was one of the most important things in her life. Above all, Peggy was warm, supportive, gentle, and forgiving; her children and grandchildren could not have asked for a better mother or grandmother.

She leaves behind a son, Paul M. Tarantino, Jr., and his wife, Heather, of Holden; two daughters, Carrie A. French and her husband, Keith, and Leanne M. Glynn and her husband, Matthew, all of Leominster; and eight grandchildren: Sarah, Jeffrey, and Michael Tarantino; Nathaniel and Therron Glynn, and Jillian, Charlotte, and Avery French. She was predeceased by her daughter, Lori M. Tarantino and her husband, Paul M. Tarantino Sr.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 4:00-7:00 pm at Miles Funeral Home, 100 Worcester Road, Sterling, MA. A private, family burial will be held in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, the Tarantino family suggests that memorial donations be made in Peggy’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.