Peter McKay Midgley

Obituary of Peter McKay Midgley Sr.

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright.

Sleep in heavenly peace, Dad. Sleep in heavenly peace.

In the early evening of December 25, 2025, Peter McKay Midgley, Sr. quietly exited mortality. It had to be the happiest Christmas of his life. It was certainly the most sacred and holy of ours. In an instant, he was freed from the Alzheimer’s Disease he had borne with grace and dignity for nearly ten years. Our hero Dad showed us, through his light and love, what faithfully enduring to the end looks like. He was 87 years old.

Dad is being honored by his surviving family members. His six children and their spouses: Debbie Caramella (Alan), Cynthia Fogg (David), Susan Hicken (Shaun), Allyson Maltere (Roger), Peter Midgley, Jr. (Tricia), and Diana Luft (Eric).

Twenty grandchildren and their spouses: Peter (Christine, fiancee), Catherine, Annie (Jerry), Ruth (Tommy), David (Natasha), Benjamin, Rachel, Joseph (Davvy), Nathan (Amber), Jonathan (Halli), Elizabeth, Arthur, Maddie (Isaac), Kayla (Drew), Russell, Jamie (Emma), George, Max, Nathaniel, and Scott.

Fifteen great-grandchildren: Lucy, Iris, Ben, Becca, Danny, Seth, Luella, Carter, Miles, Azul, Lorena, Gennie, Amelia, Griffin, and Kieran.

His siblings and their spouses: Julie (John) Montgomery, Alan Midgley, Becky (Mike) Hill, and Jean (Bill) Evans; and beloved nieces, nephews and in-laws.

We can only imagine the joyful celebration of our Savior’s birth Dad must have enjoyed with family members who were waiting to greet him on the other side, including: his wife, Moana Kay Hall Midgley; parents, Grace Nedra Ferguson Midgley and Frank Park Midgley; siblings, Elizabeth Midgley, Cathy Midgley Sorenson, and David Midgley; and great-granddaughter Jackie Fiala.

Dad was born on March 26, 1938, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He always spoke warmly of his childhood in the neighborhood of the old Tenth Ward. Dad’s father, Park, was a commercial artist, and his mother, Nedra, was a homemaker. While they were a family of modest means, his parents were so highly skilled and creative, Dad made it sound like he never wanted for anything. Between the two of them, his parents could hand-produce anything from toys to life’s necessities and encouraged the same in their children.

Dad adored his siblings. He had fond memories of vacations to California, birthdays, holidays, and especially Christmas. Dad’s siblings only became more dear to him as the years went on. He cherished phone calls, cards, letters and visits.

As a teen, Dad worked at Lagoon amusement park, where he operated the skee ball machine. His youngest sister was delighted he let her climb up to drop the balls in the holes. He loved music from a young age, and would keep a roll of nickels handy to give touring musicians so that they would keep playing the game and tell him stories about life on the road. The highlight of those years was meeting his favorite musician of all time, Louis Armstrong.

A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as a young boy Dad determined he would be an active participant even if it meant attending meetings by himself or with neighborhood friends. His sisters remember that this close group was instrumental in helping each other toward success in life. Under the leadership of his dad as scoutmaster (a position for which he was volunteered by his son, Peter) the entire group achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and served missions.

Dad was a missionary in Sweden from 1958 to 1961. He was among the last group of missionaries to travel to Europe by ship. One of our family treasures is a 500 page journal highlighting Dad’s personal growth.

Church service remained a constant for the rest of his life. Dad held many callings, including Bishop (four separate times), temple sealer, and patriarch.

Soon after returning from Sweden, Dad was set up on a blind date with Moana Kay Hall. The relationship grew as the two participated in the same choir. Dad had considered dropping out but changed his mind when he learned Moana was in the group. They married on August 24, 1962, in the Manti Utah Temple.

After receiving a B.A. in Chemistry, Dad graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine in 1967. An early practitioner of emergency medicine, the start of Dad’s career predated the invention of CPR. Over many years treating patients, Dad practiced medicine in Utah, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Minnesota, retiring at the age of 70. Among his professional papers, we discovered a file of personal notes from patients who wanted to thank him for his quality care and kindness. A  nurse who worked with Dad in Bedford, PA said his nickname in the department was the “Stormin’ Mormon.” She went on to say, “We loved to sit and listen to him tell stories. He had such a good influence on our staff both godly and father-like.”

After 40 years in the ER, Dad had strong opinions about death. He often said that sudden death, at any age, is better than the alternative. Alzheimer’s Disease would never have been his choice. But even as the disease progressed, the essence of Dad was always there–only softer. We learned that, in addition to English, German, and Swedish, Dad spoke Great Grandchild fluently–he adored them, and they loved him right back.

Sentimental Journey Singers–a group for vocalists with memory loss and their care partners was a favorite activity. It was wonderful to hear Dad’s beautiful tenor voice again, and we discovered a peer group that has become a huge support as we’ve navigated this path.

During the pandemic Dad actually thrived! He studied piano via Zoom with Rachel Thompson, our accompanist from the choir. He stunned us all by giving two solo recitals! He enjoyed an art appreciation program through the National Gallery.

And the family rallied together to provide support over Zoom with regular games and reading. Dear Karen Yarmock, Alan’s sister, kept up with the reading until the very end.

Dad was an ambassador of faith right up to and including the last year of his life. Just by being himself, Dad helped one of his beloved caregivers start her own spiritual journey. It became a comfort as we saw this greater purpose unfolding. And we realized that despite his philosophy on dying, Dad would have lived with Alzheimer’s for a thousand years if he knew what it would mean to this dear friend who otherwise would never have been in our home.

At the very end we weren’t sure what we could do–and then Allyson just knew. She brought her harp and played. Even with his eyes closed, Dad’s breathing would relax and a gentle peace would settle over him. Each of us were able to whisper words of love and make music for him–the giver of the gift.

When language failed, it was the melodies of familiar Christmas carols that narrated the last hours of Dad’s life. But it was the messages contained in the lyrics that provided the framework for the rest of his 87 years.

We are profoundly grateful that Dad was able to pass in the place he did and the way he did, on his favorite day of the year. We recognize this would not have been possible without a talented and caring medical team including doctors, nurses, therapists and the entire Goodwin Hospice group.

There also has to be a special mention of the caretaking angels: Ana, Haja, Maya, Joanna, and Valeria.

We met Ana in 2019. It felt like she was a gift from heaven to be a part of our family and care team. Dad responded to her immediately and every day until the end.

Haja was sent by the county but was unlike anyone else before, and gratefully she was with us for many years, loving Dad and our whole family.

When Dad’s needs increased, Ana brought with her a remarkable team: Maya, Joanna, and Ana’s daughter Valeria.

There is truly nothing these extraordinary women could not do. We are deeply honored they chose to care for our dad.

And finally, my personal thanks to my husband and children for the tremendous sacrifices they have made to make it possible for my parents to share our home for the last fifteen years. I will love you dearly forever and always.

The funeral for Peter Midgley will be held on Friday, January 9th. There will be a viewing from 10:00-11:10 AM, followed by the service at 11:30. Both events will take place at the LDS meetinghouse located at:

6942 Sydenstricker Road

Springfield, Virginia 22152

Interment will take place immediately following the service at:

Fairfax Memorial Park

9902 Braddock Road

Fairfax, Virginia 22032

Arrangements for the funeral services are being overseen by Laura Gonzalez from:

Funeral Choices of Chantilly

14522L Lee Road

Chantilly, Virginia 20151

703-378-6896

lgonzalez@funeral choices.com

In lieu of flowers, please contribute to Encore Creativity or Goodwin Hospice in Peter’s honor.