We regret to advise of the death of Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Smith on 10 November 2025 at Eden Care Centre in Chilliwack BC, in her 98th year. Peggy was the long-time volunteer archivist with the Royal Canadian Engineers Museum at Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack.
Peggy was the daughter of an Irish-Canadian Prairie family who arrived in British Columbia in the 1920s. Shortly after arriving in BC, Peggy was born - the youngest of five surviving children. Peggy received degrees in both Mathematics and General Arts in 1949 from Queen’s University. She returned to Vancouver and married Charles "Bud" Smith in 1950. Bud's military career with the Royal Canadian Engineers moved them to Fort Churchill, MB, Chilliwack, BC, Germany, and Halifax, NS.
Many will remember Peggy and Bud's work as the backbone of the RCE Museum for many of its early years. While the RCE Museum had an unofficial start in 1956, it took until July 1973 to receive its official Military Museum status. Chief Warrant Officer C.E. “Bud” Smith, CD (Ret’d) became the Curator in 1974, and he and Peggy continued their deep involvement with the museum since its opening in 1957, devoting countless hours of volunteer work. They accomplished the enormous task of cataloguing written material, refurbishing uniforms and organizing displays throughout the years until the Museum was relocated to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown upon the closure of Base Chilliwack.
Funeral arrangements were private.