February 8, 1949 – October 21, 2025

Peggy Cooper Poindexter, born in Shamokin, PA on February 8, 1949, passed away on October 21, 2025 due to complications from a surgery related to a recent cancer diagnosis. Her husband of 47 years, Jeffry Poindexter, and daughter’s Allison Balin and Kathryn Lager, were by her side.

Peggy’s childhood was spent in Shamokin, PA and Arlington, VA where she was surrounded by a large family of beloved cousins, grandparents, her brother Gene, and her mother and father, Mary and Bill Cooper.

Peggy was a true believer in the power of education. She received her undergraduate degree in social science from Muhlenberg College in 1971. In 1978, she graduated from Cal State Long Beach, where she received her master’s degree in public administration.

She moved to Los Angeles is 1973 and was hired by the Air Force which was taking steps to bring women into professional roles. She entered a three-year financial management training program focused on the acquisition of major weapon systems at the Space and Missile Systems Organization. Throughout her illustrious career she continued to take on increasingly complex positions in the Department of Defense and in the intelligence community. She left the federal government in 1998 to work with NASA on the Earth Observation System. She ended her career at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency where she retired as a Senior Executive and internationally recognized expert on Earned Value Management for software intensive systems. She was a pioneer in her field and for women in the Department of Defense.

In 1976, she met Jeff Poindexter and they were married on Oct 14, 1978 at the Presidio in San Francisco, CA. Peggy and Jeff lived a life filled with close friends, great food, and travel. Peggy was an accomplished home cook who spread her immense warmth and love through her memorable meals. She was an unbelievably caring and inspiring mom, who, despite a demanding career, was always there for her daughters and engaged in their many extracurricular activities and interests. She instilled in them her passion for cuisine, showing them how great food and beverage can add zest to everyday life. She was a devoted wife to Jeff. Their marriage was one of true partnership and respect.

Upon their retirement, Peggy and Jeff moved from Virginia to Incline Village, NV. Peggy was very active in her community, most recently as President of AAUW where she spearheaded many of their current scholarship initiatives and launched their cooking club.

Peggy can best be described as a kind and generous women, who beyond everything else, cherished her family, supported everything they did, and after the death of her parents, became the matriarch of her extended family.

She is survived by Jeff, Kathryn, and Allison, as well as her son-in-law’s Aaron Lager and Nikita Balin, and her grandchildren, Forest and Nico Lager, and Billie and Vinny Balin (due on Dec 9th). Her family will host a celebration of her life in Incline Village at Burnt Cedar Beach on Sunday, November 2nd at 11AM.