ELIZABETH PEACE
The Magical Hard Work of Mothering
story by JENNIFER BROWN CARPENTER photos courtesy of the PEACE FAMILY
American novelist Barbara Kingsolver once said, “Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” For Elizabeth Peace, this has always been true. Whether working odd jobs as a single mother, juggling a career with the Federal Government and raising teenagers, educating adults and children on child sexual abuse prevention, or mothering Marines who find themselves far from home on holidays, Elizabeth has been appropriately named South Carolina’s 2026 Mother of the Year® by American Mothers, Inc.
South Carolina is the 13th state that Elizabeth has found herself living in. “If you ask me where I am from, I honestly don’t know what to say,” she laughs. Right out of high school, Elizabeth joined the U.S. Air Force, entering Security Forces. “I had every intention of the Air Force helping pay for my college, getting a master’s degree, and joining the FBI. 18-year-old me was completely focused on becoming a criminal psychologist. And then I had my first child and everything changed.” Elizabeth was 20 years old and changed the entire trajectory of her life. “I became a mother and went into journalism. Every major shift in my life since then has occurred because I was, in the moment, making the best decision possible for my family and me.”
Elizabeth left the Air Force as a single mother and did what most young parents do: worked any job she could find. “I went from having a career in the military to just focusing on feeding an adorable baby.” She got a job at a local print newspaper and that was the take-off of Elizabeth’s future in journalism. She had always loved writing, all the way back to working on the school newspaper in high school, and she loved the job she found. “In both law enforcement and in journalism, you meet both the best and the worst of humanity,” Elizabeth says. “I have always been fascinated with learning more about people and the human mind, and why people make the decisions they make.”
After marrying her husband, Warren Peace (now a Master Sgt. in the Marine Corps), Elizabeth began to think about her career. Warren would be sent overseas, come back for a short stint, and then be gone again. Elizabeth herself had gone from a job in print to a position on the radio and then on to being a news anchor. She was struggling with managing her job, two children, her husband being overseas, and prepping for yet another move. “I decided to move into working for the Federal Government and taking a position in Public Affairs.” Five years ago, Elizabeth was offered a position at the Department of the Interior. “They understood that I was a military spouse of an active-duty member, and that they would have to work with me wherever my husband got orders. They were committed to that and to working with me, and so I have stayed with them. They allowed me to be a mom first, as my children were transitioning into high school, without giving up my career.”
Elizabeth’s days are focused on running her awesome team and making sure that they have a good handle on communications. “I can tell you that it is incredibly good and hard work. In the last year and a half, I have done more work than I ever have in my career. I am balancing not wanting to let my boss and employees down, and also getting my youngest off to college in the fall.”
Elizabeth moved to Beaufort in April 2025, after her husband had been stationed here in 2024. “This is by far my favorite duty station we’ve ever been. We feel like the grandparents of our little military neighborhood. There are a lot of young families, and we’re definitely the oldest of the group. We love it.”
Through experiences that both Elizabeth and her children had, she discovered Darkness to Light, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse. “That was a crucial turning point for our family. We wanted to move forward and be able to educate other parents and adults. For the last 15 years, I have been talking to youth, and teaching and educating on sexual abuse. As a family, we decided that we were not going to hide behind the things that had happened, and we were going to use those experiences to help others. We got really involved in teaching these things and educating parents, especially in military settings where these things can often go unnoticed and unprosecuted. We wanted to address these things with children on an age-appropriate level and so with my husband’s help, we created Sgt. BARK, a series of coloring books addressing things like body boundaries, not keeping secrets from trusted adults, and more.”
Another way that Elizabeth utilizes her nurturing side is by regularly hosting young Marines in her home. “I call them kids even if they are in their 20s,” she laughs. “Some of these kids can’t go home for Christmas or Thanksgiving or whatever the holiday is. My heart can’t handle that, so we bring them here. We get them stockings, presents, and give them a good dinner. It’s amazing. I love having them here and getting to see my husband mentor them and pour into them.”
Elizabeth was nominated as South Carolina’s 2026 Mother of the Year® by her best friend. “The moment that I got the notification that I had been nominated I knew that she was the one who did it. She is one of my biggest supporters and cheerleaders. But I sat on it, because I started really thinking, ‘But AM I?’ I thought about it and eventually asked my 18-year-old if he thought I should accept it. I wasn’t going to if he didn’t think I should. And he said, ‘Yeah, I’d agree.’ That was all the endorsement I got out of him and it was enough. Hearing that from my kid meant more than being nominated or chosen.” Elizabeth had never heard of American Mothers, Inc. prior to her friend getting involved. She hopes that more people will learn about the heart of this organization, which works to educate, inspire, and recognize mothers and all they do to positively impact both their families and communities. “Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, an adoptive mom … whatever it is, mothering is hard work. I would love for more women to be nominated as Mother of the Year®, and to be recognized, honored, and celebrated for the hard work they do as mothers.”
When asked what advice she would give to mothers, Elizabeth says, “My advice to mothers is to find something that makes you a person outside of being a parent or employee or spouse. You have to find something that is unique and solely for you. If you’re always focused on being the best employee, the best wife, the best mother … then who in the world are you? It took me into my mid-thirties to realize that.”
When Elizabeth is not hard at work, whether in her career, as a mother, or through mentoring others, she enjoys sitting on her front porch, walking her dogs along the beach, and collecting seashells for her flower beds. “I love being in Beaufort. It is so peaceful. We are grateful for the opportunity to be here and to be part of this community.”
