Margaret Landers

Margaret Anne Landers of Villanova, PA, known to all as Peggy, passed on October 17 at Bryn Mawr Hospital, following a rather extraordinary and valiant 16-year battle with kidney cancer, stage 4 for the last decade. She was 69.

A terrific journalist and a beautiful writer, beloved wife of Steve Sonsky, wondrous Mom to their daughter Shea Alanna Landers Sonsky, Peggy dealt with numerous surgeries, radiation treatments, clinical trials and targeted and immunological drug therapies at both Penn's Abramson Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Through it all, her bravery, optimism and good cheer never waned. She was a model of grace and courage.

So many of Peggy's family and dearest friends in recent days have communicated to Steve and Shea how her unfailing optimism and positive mental attitude was an inspiration, especially to those facing their own health issues. She soldiered through this disease for 16 years with never any ”why me’s?”, just a focus on always moving forward. This is how they KNOW she stayed with us as long as she did.
Whenever there was a setback that created a “new normal” that had to be adjusted to, she did, and as Steve and Shea are fond of saying, they simply followed her lead. That's a lesson we can all take from her. The other lesson Steve says he's come away with, is: "Take nothing for granted. We tried to live this way. Every day was a blessing, really. So: Hug all your loved ones. Often. And repeatedly."

Peggy was born in New York City, grew up in Boca Raton and was graduated from the University of Florida in 1974 with a bachelor of science degree in journalism. A former fashion writer and editor, feature writer, and religion reporter for The Miami Herald, she was one of the founding editors of the Herald's standalone fashion section, "Elan". Peggy also previously wrote about fashion for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and was a regular at the New York Fashion Shows. Upon leaving the Herald and moving with her family to the Philly area in 1995, she became the Food Editor at the Philadelphia Daily News.

In addition to Steve, her husband of 30 years, a former television critic and Executive Features Editor for the Miami Herald, and Executive Editor for TV Guide, and Shea, her 28-year-old daughter, a Philadelphia-based performer and educator, Peggy is survived by her sisters Terri Landers, Kathleen Landers and Maureen Miller; brother Michael Landers; sister-in-law Stacey Sonsky; brother-in-law Brad Miller; mother-in-law and father-in-law Harriette and Sonny Sonsky; and her nieces Morgan Wiener, Lindsay Wiener, Chelsea Zegarski, Julianna Biviano, Katie Alessi, Meaghan Birakis, Lauren Miller, Shannon Landers, and her nephew Jesse Landers.

Peggy and Steve met 42 years ago, when she was covering Boca Raton City Council meetings for the Delray Beach News Journal and he for the Palm Beach Bureau of the Miami Herald. They began dating a year later after Peggy returned to South Florida following six months of boating through the Caribbean on a catamaran. She had always thought he was the stuffy and arrogant guy who was the only reporter who wore a suit and tie to small town city council meetings. He thought she was beautiful, funny and flighty -- who leaves a job to sail the seas? Clearly, they both learned a lot from each other, traveling the world together, laughing, always laughing, and having rewarding and accomplished careers. Their greatest achievement, though, was certainly their fabulous daughter Shea.

Because of COVID, despite some recent relaxations by the state of Pennsylvania, the family felt it most appropriate and socially responsible to have kept arrangements to this point private. They plan to have a life celebration for Peggy  sometime later this year or in the spring first in the Philadelphia area... And then in South Florida, where they'll be able to honor her wish to go home to be laid to rest beside her parents.

In lieu of flowers, the family has arranged for donations at Penn to be specifically earmarked for kidney cancer research.

Checks should be made out to "Kidney Cancer Research in care of Dr. Naomi Haas at Penn Medicine." In the check memo field, or on the envelope, or with an enclosed note, indicate your donation is "In Memory of Margaret Landers".

The mailing address is:

Penn Development
3535 Market Street
Suite 750
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Attention: Andrew Deal

Peggy loved living on her little country lane in suburban Philly. After spending the first 44 years of her life in South Florida, her family's move there in 1995 to a whole different world of flora and fauna -- and seasons! -- was transformative for her. She reveled every day in the birdsong and foliage of the lovely, canopied setting they were lucky enough to call home. Think of her as you walk among the beauty of wherever you live. Her's was a spectacular, gentle soul.