Peggy Lloyd Named Grand Marshal of Ocean City Baby Parade

She won’t be 100 until Sept. 10. But that’s OK. Ocean City has named Peggy Lloyd grand marshal of its 104th Baby Parade on Aug. 8. It will give her a well-deserved, pre-100th Birthday celebration during the popular event.

Lloyd may be approaching 100 but is as energetic as ever. This past week, she climbed up a ladder and trimmed the holly tree in her back yard. In the winter, she shovels the snow off her sidewalk. She is often seen walking the beach and her daily routine up to recently included an eight-mile bike ride to the end of the Boardwalk and back from her Gardens home.

The petite, lady was ski instructor during World War ll in Newfoundland. She worked for the USO at a Rest and Recreation Center for service personnel. “I was hired to make sure they skied safely, didn’t hurt themselves on the slopes,” she says. “Before I came there were a series of ski injuries, broken legs, that sort of thing. I also had a degree in teaching so the USO thought I’d be good for the position.” She was.

A rugged outdoor woman in her youth and ‘till this day, Peggy has climbed mountains, camped out in the snow over night and is an expert swimmer. She taught her husband John how to swim and stood by as a lifeguard as he nervously negotiated the water in their pool.

But perhaps her favorite job was Companion to Miss America, a position she held for 12 years. “We visited veteran’s hospitals in six countries and all of the Miss Americas were just wonderful to the wounded soldiers. It was a great experience. In Italy, we were taken into the Vatican and the Pope smiled and waved to us,” she recalls.

In Ocean City, Peggy is best known for her charitable contributions and volunteerism. She has served on the Board of the Ocean City Arts Center for many years where she arranges frequent fund raising bus trips to major art exhibits. Her next tour is scheduled for December. She is an artist and art patron and has over 200 paintings displayed in every room of her home.  These include works of her own and those purchased from other artists.

Peggy is a financial supporter of the Arts Center and Ocean City Pops Orchestra. Whenever she sees a need, Peggy steps in and helps. Just recently she was honored by the City’s Aquatic and Fitness Center for sponsoring swimming lessons for children who needed financial assistance. “I know how important it is for everyone to learn to swim through helping my husband who was intimidated by the water,” she says.

Peggy is also a founder and past president of the Gardens Civic Assn. where she has initiated landscape improvement projects that have added beauty to the community.

“We are pleased that Peggy Lloyd will be grand marshal of our 104th Baby Parade,” said Mayor Jay Gillian. “We will be honoring this outstanding lady with a Key to the City and proclamation. Peggy has been an inspiration to our community over the years. She is an amazing lady.”

The Ocean City BABY PARADE will be held at 5 p.m. on Thurs., Aug. 8.  Route will be from 6th to 12 streets on the Boardwalk. To register your child, stop at the Music Pier Information Center, Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Call (609)-525-9300 for information.

— By Ocean City Public Relations Director Mark Soifer