For 45 years, Peggy Becker was tasked with finding 210 matching dresses for the female members of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Outfitting women from sizes 2 to 30 in exactly matching dresses was a completely impossible task if you were hoping to buy something off the rack or from a supplier. So Peggy simply sewed them herself.
The longtime and beloved seamstress for the Tabernacle Choir, Peggy passed away at her home on Monday, November 8, at the age of 91, according to the Tabernacle Choir’s blog. Peggy was recognized for her work with the Choir—creating over 2,000 dresses—in October 2021.
Under Peggy’s four-decade tenure, sequins were first incorporated into some of the Choir’s gowns, and she designed and sewed the dresses for the first time the Choir was recorded singing in general conference.
► You may also like: Mormon Tabernacle Choir Fashion: 1888–Now
The Choir shared news of Peggy’s passing on their Instagram account.
Former Tabernacle Choir member Marilyn Lundberg commented on the post, “Peggy was a rare gem. Everyone who knew her, loved her. She was a dear friend and will be missed by many. ❤️”
”I knew right away when I met Peggy that she was someone special,” Lundberg told LDS Living. “She always had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. It was obvious to me that she loved serving in the wardrobe and she was good at every aspect of her job.” She also recounted a story of Peggy’s attention to detail and the people she was serving. When Lundberg was in the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, she had recently lost weight and her usual dress was obviously too large. One morning, shortly before she and her fellow singers were headed to the Choir loft in the Tabernacle for their weekly performance of Music and the Spoken Word, Peggy spotted her coming out of the dressing room and asked, ”Marilyn, did we put you in a dress that’s too big?”
“Even with 179 other women in the same dress, she noticed the one person who needed a better size dress,” Lundberg praised. “She was able to quickly find another dress in the right size and get me to my seat on time. She knew it was her responsibility to make sure each sister looked her best. She was a dear friend, and I feel blessed to have known her.”
According to Peggy’s obituary, in 1947 she was named “The Days of ’47” Queen for Roy City in Utah, and she honed her impeccable sewing skills at Skyline Sportswear in Ogden, Utah. Peggy and her five siblings were put in foster care or adopted by different families as young children, but in her later years, she was able to reconnect with some of her family members thanks to the efforts of her biological sister’s granddaughter.
“Peggy was love personified,” former Choir member Larraine Rowberry said. “Every Sunday morning as we walked into the women’s dressing room, Peggy greeted everyone with a smile and often a hug and a kiss on the cheek! She loved everyone and everyone loved her!” She also called Peggy one of her Fairy Godmothers, who made all the women in the Choir feel cared for and beautiful.
“The world would be a better place if we were all more like Peggy,” Rowberry concluded.
Here is a look back at some of the most distinctive and recognizable Tabernacle Choir dresses from Peggy’s loving influence and tenure.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Becker family and Tabernacle Choir staff and volunteers as they grieve the loss of this incredible servant and lovely woman.
