Owner of Peggy's Natural Foods in Hobe Sound since 1982 dies of cancer

Ananya Tiwari, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·3 min read

Peggy Ranger, who owned the oldest and largest independent health foods store on the Treasure Coast, died Jan. 27 after battling cancer for over a decade. She was 72.

Ranger started Peggy’s Natural Foods in 1982 in today's The Marketplace at Hobe Sound shopping center. In 1986, she moved to a store on Federal Highway in the same city. She relocated to the Cove Center in Stuart in 1996 and then to Martin's Landing in Hobe Sound in 2021.

Peggy's Natural Foods will remain open and “continue to serve the community,” executor James Covey said, without specifying who will own it. Ranger is survived by her two sons and former spouse who live in Florida; her brother, who lives in Missouri; and her sister, who lives in North Carolina.

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Peggy Ranger, owner of Hobe Sound's Peggy's Natural Foods, passed away on Jan. 26 after a long battle with cancer. She was 72. Peggy's Natural Food is Treasure Coast's oldest independent health foods store.
Peggy Ranger, owner of Hobe Sound's Peggy's Natural Foods, passed away on Jan. 26 after a long battle with cancer. She was 72. Peggy's Natural Food is Treasure Coast's oldest independent health foods store.

A certified nutritionist, Ranger was a fierce advocate for health supplements and the natural foods movement. Her store’s motto — "real, healthy, local" — reflects her holistic philosophy to health.

“She was a very smart and tough business lady that succeeded for a very long time,” said store manager Ryan Costello. “She should have really retired and relaxed, but the store was her life.”

Peggy Ranger was a SENPA member, president

A former special needs teacher with a master's degree in special education from Florida Atlantic University, Ranger launched her business after seeing her students struggling to concentrate and learn because of a lack of nutrients in their lunches.

Ranger lobbied for the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 to establish standards, which she did on behalf of SENPA, a nonprofit natural products trade association. She was a member for 22 years and its president from 2008-09, said Executive Director Debra Short.

Peggy Ranger, owner of Hobe Sound's Peggy's Natural Foods, passed away on Jan. 27, 2024. She was 72. Ranger was a life-long advocate for health foods and supplements. In this photo she is with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who sponsored and was the co-author of the the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.
Peggy Ranger, owner of Hobe Sound's Peggy's Natural Foods, passed away on Jan. 27, 2024. She was 72. Ranger was a life-long advocate for health foods and supplements. In this photo she is with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who sponsored and was the co-author of the the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.

“She attended several fly-ins to Washington, D.C., to talk to our lawmakers up there,” Short said.

Ranger also represented the industry in the Martin County Business Exchange, a nonprofit club for business owners, and was a member of the Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce.

Peggy's Natural Foods will be her legacy

Ranger channeled her passion into running her store. She was always eager to give customers and friends advice on nutrition and health products, said Sara Leigh, the store's buyer and social media manager, who began working there when she was a teenager.

“The world feels different without her presence, but we will all do our best to keep her legacy alive through Peggy’s Natural Foods," Leigh said. "I’m glad I’ve been able to be a part of it."

Peggy’s Natural Foods owner Peggy Ranger (right) helps Hilary Heaney, of Palm City, with supplements on opening day in the newly renamed Martin’s Landing strip mall on the corner of Petway Road and Federal Highway in Hobe Sound on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. After 26 years in the Cove Center shopping plaza in Stuart, Ranger moved Martin County’s oldest and largest health-food store to the newly built-out 2,800-square-foot space. “I’m so happy to be back in Hobe Sound because this is where I originally started,” said Ranger. “The space is very visible, we have a brand new logo and we just tried to make it pop out and for customers to have fun and enjoy themselves and feel comfortable when they walk in.”

Ranger's outgoing personality won her many friends and customers, such as Mary Ann Loomis.

“She provided the resource, both of herself with the advice and consultation, and with the products that she had in the store," Loomis said. "She was always available when you walked in that store to answer any questions.”

Ranger’s passion rubbed off on her employees too, Leigh said.

“Working for her taught me so much about nutrition, supplements, eating properly, being your own advocate when it comes to your health and to always trust your gut — valuable things I never could have learned anywhere else."

Ranger had a selfless community spirit, said Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce CEO Lainey Meunich.

"She always was there to say 'yes' to help out the community or any events or anybody else that was going through something,” Meunich said.

Friends said Ranger’s dedication never flagged, even after she was diagnosed with cancer. Despite being ill, she would attend after-hours events to meet customers and fellow community members.

“She was living proof that anyone could accomplish anything when they put their energy toward it,” Leigh said.

Ananya Tiwari is a business reporter for TCPalm. You can reach her via email at ananya.tiwari@tcpalm.com or follow her work on Facebook, Twitter, and MuckRack.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Owner of Peggy's Natural Foods in Hobe Sound since 1982 dies of cancer