Peggy Sue Higginbotham Jernigan

Mrs. Peggy Sue Higginbotham Jernigan, 71, of Millport, AL passed away peacefully at her residence Wednesday, October 23, 2024, surrounded by her family. A memorial service will be held at Cockrell Funeral Home, Friday, October 25, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Salem Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, memorials may be made in Peggy Jernigan’s memory for hymnal fund of First Methodist Church of Columbus, MS, 600 Main St., Columbus, MS 39701.

Peggy Sue Higginbotham Jernigan was born on September 25, 1953, in Macon, Mississippi to the late Grady Tilton and Ollie Mae Patterson Higginbotham. Peggy graduated as Valedictorian of the first graduating class of Central Academy. As a student in high school Peggy enjoyed playing the piano and enjoyed sewing. 

Peggy met the love of her life, David, in the back of a Volkswagen coming home from a Billy Graham crusade. They were married on July 17,1969 and enjoyed 55 years together. For their honeymoon they traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which was Peggy’s first time seeing the ocean and getting to eat the delicious seafood. David’s mom said that Peggy wasn’t like a daughter- in-law to her but was the daughter she never had. 

Peggy loved being a mom to her daughters. She loved teaching them to cook, baking holiday treats with them, and decorating for the holidays as a family. She modeled for them what it was like to compassionately care for and serve others. Her legacy will live on through their lives.

Peggy graduated from George C. Wallace Community College, Selma, AL in the LPN program. Following her graduation, she was employed at Perry County Hospital where she worked nights as an LPN while continuing her education at GCWCC and earning her RN degree. 

As an RN she was employed at Hale County Hospital in Greensboro as a charge nurse on the night shift. She then went to work at Seton Home Health as a field nurse, where she was later promoted to branch manager of her office in Greensboro, AL. Peggy then transferred to Tuscaloosa, AL where over the years she managed three different offices for Seton. Peggy continued working with Seton in Birmingham as an education coordinator for the State of Alabama. Following her time with Seton as the education coordinator she started her own business as a QI consultant. In 2000, Peggy moved to Millport, AL, and began working for Pickens Medical Center as the QI Coordinator for home health. She was a very empathetic nurse and is remembered as having a special touch with her patients. She loved her work with home health and helping people to be able to stay at their own home. Peggy was known for helping people all of her life.

Peggy’s love for our Lord started to show when she joined the First Baptist Church in Macon in her early teenage years. David was a member of the First Methodist Church but was not involved due to his rural farm life. Peggy was instrumental for getting David more involved with the church and growing in the Lord. 

While living in Marion, Ala. Peggy was a member of Marion United Methodist Church where she was involved in Bible Study and singing in the choir. When she and David moved to Centerville she continued to be involved in the choir and in Bible study at Centerville United Methodist Church and was also the chairperson of the pastor parish committee. She also started the prayer card ministry while in Centreville. Most recently Peggy was involved even more from home with the online ministry. She encouraged anyone who was watching online to participate and she shared needs that were shared in the comments with the pastor. 

Peggy had a gift for decorating. She enjoyed hosting her family for any and all occasions throughout the year. It filled her heart with joy to have her home filled with family, good food, and sweet fellowship. Peggy liked to watch the Home and Garden network on television and her favorite programs were Home Town and Fixer to Fabulous. Her favorite pastimes included reading, listening to K-Love radio and to Gaither music. She loved her family and enjoyed hearing her grandchildren play piano and watching them play soccer. Her favorite place to be was at home, although she did still love trips to the beach. 

Peggy is preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Elmer Higginbotham and brother-in-law, J. W. Vernon.

Peggy’s survivors include her loving husband, David Jernigan; two daughters, Patricia Schmid (James) of Calera, AL and Lea McMillan (Britiney) of Cary, N.C., three grandchildren, Paul Schmid, David Schmid and Asher Fife; two sisters, Marie Vernon of Macon, MS and Nancy Andre (Lenny) of Collierville, TN and one brother, Ray Higginbotham (Jean) of Brooksville, MS.

The family wishes to give heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped to care for her in the last weeks of her life. Words can not express our gratitude for those from Southern Care New Beacon Hospice - Heather Harcrow, Kartina Knox, Dave Bolin, and Steven Fondren. They were most certainly the hands and feet of Jesus to all of us. We are also grateful for her sitter, Alice Chain, who cared for her so compassionately and gave dad much needed breaks for mental health and doctor’s appointments. A huge thanks to neighbors Doug and Julie Kuhn, Brian and Karen McCarra, and good friends Tanya Tolley and Christina Fondren who were available to help at a moment’s notice. Their friendship is a treasure. We also want to thank their pastor, Vaughn Safford, who has ministered to mom and dad selflessly and sacrificially. The family also wishes to thank the South Lamar Rescue Squad and the Lift Team for their services multiple times over the past few months.