Peter and Peggy Eggers have the distinct feeling that their love was meant to be.
After graduating from Washington and Lee in Lexington, Virginia, Peter and his roommate headed west—his roommate in his VW Beetle and Peter on his Triumph motorcycle—he to Jackson Hole and Peter to Aspen. After a carefree summer ‘getting lost’ on his bike on mountain roads, only to return to the Jerome Hotel every evening for cocktail hour with friends, Peter’s idyllic life in Aspen was coming to an end. The weather began to cool, and when summer transitioned to fall, a friend suggested he move to Evergreen where he could put down roots and get to work. On his second day in Evergreen, he landed a job learning the building trades from Byron Angevine, who owned a good portion of the west-facing slope of Independence Mountain. Even at a starting pay of $1.70/hour, Peter soon realized that Evergreen and the trades would be his life’s calling.
Meanwhile, upon their college graduation, Peggy and her roommate, Connie, spent six months hitchhiking around Europe. Peggy returned to learn her hometown sweetheart had found someone new. She and Connie left Virginia soon thereafter, headed to San Francisco intending to “wear flowers in their hair,” but ran out of money en route, stopped in Denver, got jobs at the phone company, and eventually found their way to a little rental cabin on a dirt road in Evergreen. After doing their laundry at Cozy Cleaners one fateful Saturday in 1971, there, beside their mailbox, was a tall, broad-shouldered man on a baby blue 650 Triumph motorcycle.
Peter claims, “I was looking at a row of cabins trying to figure out which was the owner’s as I wanted to inquire if there was something available to rent, when Connie and Peggy pulled up alongside of me.”
“ …I looked into those ocean-colored eyes, and in that very moment, I fell instantly, totally and eternally in love.”
From the passenger’s seat, Peggy took one look at the good-looking man sitting gallantly on his motorcycle and leapt out of the car. “It was decidedly against my upbringing, but I couldn’t help myself,” she confesses. “I introduced myself to him, and when he lifted his wraparound sunglasses, I looked into those ocean-colored eyes, and in that very moment, I fell instantly, totally and eternally in love.”
Although Peter wasn’t smitten right away, he was drawn to Peggy. “The more I got to know her, the more attracted I felt. By then, I had bought an A-frame fixer-upper on Shadow Mountain Road in Conifer. Eventually, I asked her to move in with me,” he says.
Peggy continues, “Once they heard about his cabin in the Rocky Mountains, Peter’s friends came from far and wide. I was raised in the tradition of Southern hospitality, but I was hardly prepared for the nonstop parade of Peter’s hippie friends. Some stayed for a short time, but most stayed for weeks. They set up tents and RVs and even a teepee on the property, and I kept adding more and more brown rice to extend whatever meal I was creating. It was too much. I told Peter, ‘I’m going home to Virginia to see my Mom. I’ll be back when your friends are gone.’” Two days later they were, and she returned to their hippie-free home. Not long after that, he proposed.
Peter wasted no time introducing Peggy to his family in New York. “My parents liked Peggy immediately and gave me my grandmother’s ring to make our engagement official.”
Peggy adds, “Then it was my turn to introduce Peter to my family. My grandfather, ‘Pop,’ owned the largest duck farm in the world, and Mom had a home on the farm. Pop invited Peter into his parlor, and they were there behind closed doors for hours. My grandfather was a Southern patriarch to the core, so I held my breath. Peter was a Yankee, had a beard, and his hair hung in ringlets down to his shoulders, but not surprisingly, Peter won Pop over.”
Peter interjects, “I spoke to Peggy’s grandfather with honesty and truth, and it worked.” When they came out of the parlor, Pop announced, “Peter will be a fine husband, a fine businessman and a fine father, but I must request that you cut the curls and get a shave before the wedding.” Peggy married her neatly groomed but still bearded groom on August 25, 1973.
Peter and Peggy have four children—Megan, Gabe, Moria and Alex—whom they call “The FOURce” and who light up their lives. The trim on their house and the carpet within are the color of Peter’s eyes. He found his calling as a custom woodworker, His artistry is evident throughout their Evergreen home, from his handcrafted cabinetry to the custom arches with unifying geometric design that flows from one room to the next. Peter supervised, then purchased Woden Woods in 1993 and continues to make the daily commute to his 11,000-square-foot shop, making one-of-a-kind, high-end furniture and cabinets for discriminating clients. He claims the best part of his day is “when I come home to the most beautiful woman in the world… our life here in Evergreen is magical.”
Bottom Row L-R: Alex, Peggy & Gabe
Peggy’s work has always centered on supporting people throughout the lifespan. She is certified in childbirth education, volunteer management and gerontology. She worked in the field of childbirth education as an educator, national teacher trainer, keynote speaker and writer for 20 years. She then became Director of Volunteers, worked the senior wellness program and at the gift shop, and was Auxiliary at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver during what they refer to as “the tuition years.” As empty-nesters, Peter and Peggy have been enthusiastic volunteers—Peter on the board of Evergreen Park & Recreation District, Peggy of Center for the Arts Evergreen and Leadership Evergreen, and both with the Evergreen Creative District. Peter was Leadership Evergreen’s first Leader of the Year. Peggy was named to the Evergreen Chamber’s Women in Business Hall of Fame.
Both Peter and Peggy are grateful cancer survivors, and it’s obvious that their love and devotion feed their will to live.
Fifty-one years married, Peggy shares, “Peter is my safe haven. We love talking about what we can do to improve the quality of life in the mountain area, and we love taking care of each other.” Peter avows, “I always want to be there for her.”
If you have trouble believing in the kind of love fairytales are made of, may the Eggers’ astounding love story give you hope that “forever” love is not only possible,
it’s attainable.
