Long Beach's Peggy Blakeney had a natural grace about her

LONG BEACH -- Peggy Joyce Blakeney met her husband, U.L., in the courthouse at Raleigh, Miss., where her uncle was a judge.

U.L. was naturally reserved, but he had just returned from World War II and was "full of himself, coming back from the war."

She was engaged, but he was persistent. Before long, they were married.

They moved to Gulfport and raised their four children a block from the beach, until he bought 5 acres in Long Beach and moved the family there.

Because she had twin girls, there was a time she had three children under the age of 3. She took the bus with all the tots, because she didn't drive.

Blakeney's family remembers her as a woman who had a natural grace about her, loved her family and children and seldom had a bad word to say about anyone.

Blakeney was 89 when she died in October. Her graveside service will be Thursday at Biloxi National Cemetery, where she will be buried next to her husband.

Peggy Blakeney's daughter, Linda Blakeney, said when the twins were born, weighing less than 2 pounds each, they were sent to Jackson for medical care.

Blakeney's mother, Nanny, "a force to reckon with," went to Jackson and sat with the babies around the clock.

Blakeney was absolutely beautiful, her daughter said. "She had such a presence about her -- composed, but not haughty or boring. Everyone wanted to help her, cater to her, treat her specially.

"She was kind and intelligent, a really good person in her heart. There was nothing fake about her."

Her biggest concern was her family and children.

She was proud that all of her children graduated college, but that was much less important than that everyone was happy and had a good life, her family said. "She set the standard of what a good person should be."

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Long Beach's Peggy Blakeney had a natural grace about her ."