Betty Sue Cameron Heaps, “Peggy” to the many who loved her, 93, of Birmingham, Alabama, and recently of Savannah, Georgia, died on November 24, 2023, after a short battle with complications of diabetic dementia. Peggy was born in 1930 to Addie Cameron and James Cameron in Birmingham. After graduating from Jones Valley High School in 1948, where she excelled at sports and public speaking, Peggy immediately went to work in a Sherwin Williams paint store to help support her family.

She later landed successive secretarial positions, eventually working as the indispensable assistant to a bank president. While working at the bank in downtown Birmingham in 1962, Peggy met Carlos Heaps when he offered to carry her tray to her lunch table at Morrison’s. They wed in 1964, going on to welcome Cameron Sue Heaps and Scott Marion Heaps into their family.

Peggy was a kind, caring and giving person who always put the needs of her family and friends before her own. She also was a very strong woman who faced every challenge in her life with courage, dignity, and the famous Cameron sense of humor. When Peggy brought her daughter Cameron home, Peggy decided to dedicate her life to being a superb mother, which was her fondest wish. Peggy excelled at propping up Carlos, Cameron, and Scott, and supporting them through the many passions and difficulties of their lives. Whether that was entertaining colleagues and clients of Carlos’s law practice with her legendary dinner parties, nurturing and supporting Scott as he searched for the career that fit him best, or sending fabulous shoes to Cameron wherever she was living, Peggy made it her mission to improve the lives of her family, and of everyone around her. When her children got their wheels, Peggy returned to the office and became Carlos’s office manager and best paralegal, working side by side with her husband. She was an excellent mom and grandmother and will be missed greatly, including by the family dogs, Roxie, Odie, and Bonnie, to whom she could never give too many treats and kisses.

Peggy was a delightful friend to many, and cherished her poker group, ladies who shared a love of gambling for pennies, happy hours, and domestic and international travel. She was supportive, kind, hilarious, and witty, and made the best of every poker hand and travel mishap. No one was ever more thrilled to be “snowed in” in New York City in February. Peggy also was a passionate fashionista and decorator. When she wasn’t filling her own or her daughter’s home with warmth and great style, she could be found at the Decorators’ ShowHouse supporting the Alabama Symphony or the Salvation Army, making sure that other families experienced beautiful surroundings and cultural enrichment, and were cared for with compassion.

Peggy was predeceased by her husband Carlos, her son Scott, her parents James and Addie Cameron, and her siblings Mildred Ervin, Thelma Colvert, Arthur Cameron, Joyce Brown, John Garnett Cameron, and Joan Vines. Peggy is survived by her daughter Cameron Sue Heaps and Cameron’s partner, William Callaway; her grandsons Joseph Carlos “Charlie” Ippolito and Samuel Gaeton Ippolito; her sister Patricia Draper; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews.

The family sends heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful people who took special care of Peggy and of all the residents at Harmony at Savannah, especially in Harmony Square, its memory care facility; and to the outstanding staff of Hearth Hospice, Brunswick, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Peggy’s name to Renegade Paws Rescue, www.renegadepawsrescue.org. Services will be announced at a later date.