CATONSVILLE, MD — Peggy Bailey's impact on the Catonsville community is something that can't be measured.
People said as a waitress for decades here at Jennings Cafe, she made you feel at home.
And her stories are something you'll always remember.
VIDEO: Beloved longtime Catonsville waitress Ms. Peggy passes away
Now that she's passed, people told WMAR 2 News things will never quite feel the same again.
"In my 40-some years, no one has impacted the community and the individuals like Ms. Peggy," Steven Iampieri, owner of Jennings Cafe, said.
She could make you laugh, and she could make you cry.
No one in Catonsville can doubt Peggy Bailey was the heart of the community.
Some of her impact you can see on the walls in Jennings Cafe, where she worked as a waitress for over 40 years.
They even have a parlor named after her.
But the mark Peggy left in people's lives runs deeper.
She knew you by name and truly cared about each person who walked through the door.
"Everybody knew Ms. Peggy. Everybody came and asked for Ms. Peggy," Iampieri said.
He said one of the many moments people showed their love for Peggy was in 2020 during COVID.
"People started bringing in envelopes, and it would say Ms. Peggy, and they would start leaving cash, and I'm like, What in the heck is going on here?"
Ms. Peggy retired in 2023 and moved to Ohio to live with her oldest son.
That's where she sadly passed away on Monday.
Her daughter-in-law Terri Bailey told WMAR 2 News how difficult it was to see her go.
"It's still hard even though we knew it was coming. It's still like a slap in the face," Bailey said. "I just loved her so much."
But through Terri's tears, she was still able to smile, thinking of the many stories Peggy told her.
Her favorite is from when Peggy used to work at a deli in Park Heights.
"A man ordered a tongue sandwich. And she didn't know what that was, and she thought that he wanted to kiss her or something. And she cussed him out, and the owner said, 'That's a tongue sandwich; we sell them'."
Customers have their own favorite stories, like George Strunge.
He and his friends have been coming to Jennings since 1958.
"We were in here one night, and we had 18 guys here, and she took our order, and she never wrote anything down. And the waitress said, "Who gets a hot roast beef sandwich?' Nobody said anything. 'Who gets a hot roast beef sandwich? And Peggy yells over, 'Jack, you do'!"
Terri had one last message for Peggy.
"I love you so much. And I've missed you for a year and a half. And I know that I can never talk to you and you answer me again. Oh my goodness."
Peggy will be truly missed but never forgotten.
Jennings Cafe will hold a celebration of life for Peggy in June.
