If you asked her what she did over the weekend, you should prepare for a lengthy list of accomplishments including both productivity and fun. It definitely would include an act of kindness for someone else. She was indeed a light in this often dark land. To some she was their compass. To others she was their North Star. To some she was simply home. She was a sounding board and confidante. She was Nancy.
An invitation to our home for dinner would result in her arriving with a bounty of gifts from her garden or freshly baked goods from her kitchen. Empty-handed she was not. Even a spontaneous last- minute dinner invitation would result in her saying she would arrive in ten minutes. But she would arrive in nine apologizing for being “ late”. She would have showered and be bearing home-made brownies hot out of her oven and an enormous colorful tossed salad. We never could figure out the algorithm making that possible. We once considered she might be an extraterrestrial.
Everything about Nancy was authentic. And extraordinary.
If her faith was a force, then, the force is strong with this one. And her wish would be : May the force be with you. In times of strife: Keep the faith. She always did.
She valiantly fought cancer. There was no surrender. She was a formidable opponent. Her fight was resilient and tenacious. But cancer is not the story of her life.
Her love of her family was immeasurable. Her “ kids”. She loved them to the moon and back and then lapped it another million times over. She saw in them everything that was good and right about the world. Multiply that again hundred-fold with the grands. Her kids grew up with a hands on/ arms wide open mom making gingerbread houses and crawfish costumes. Their guardian angel has her wings. Her siblings and the mighty Coffey clan : start with the parades and polkas and end with the love. They all love to gather. To be together.
About the parades... How many people do you know who casually and repeatedly referenced being in parades ? The Rockettes. Macy’s balloons. Ferris Bueller. College Marching Bands. Nancy.
Movies. Board Games. Concerts. Birthday cookie cakes. Long talks. Laughs. Cards. Tomato Pie. Margaritas. Mojitos. Scotch. Fish Salads. Pizzas. Lunches. Dinners. Puzzles. Christmas Lights. Photos. Moments. Precious priceless moments. Pudge. Merritt.
Nancy had a method of delivering bad or stunning news in a mumbled blur followed by a rapid succession of changing the subject. We often thought perhaps we misheard or we had suffered some sort of neuro episode. She drove in the same way she lived, multitasking and accomplishing many things at once including alarming her passengers.
She rafted, fished, gardened, cooked, painted, sewed, baked and ran marathons. She was ultra organized and could plan anything. She loved to pounce a revealing board game on you. She was a mixologist and loved to travel.
If she was eating dinner with us, then she was walking with friends, going to a movie with others, meeting a couple for coffee and possibly having a cocktail with others beforehand. There was never a wasted moment. Not a minute. Not a second.
She loved to dance. It is a metaphor for her life. She was out there engaging with others. Laughing Lit up with a smile. She was never a bench warmer. She was always in the game. It wasn’t a spectator sport. Nancy loved music. John Prine. Emmylou Harris. Lee Bains. There is a long list.
She returned to teaching nursing at a challenging time and predictably changed many lives including students and colleagues. Her work ethic was stellar. Her patience was classic Nancy. ( She did tell some funny stories.) Nancy was a teacher in every sense of the word. She, of course, was the advisor to the student association because...you know, she didn’t have enough to do. And her contributions were in fact, award-winning.
Nancy embraced life with the zest of anyone committed to saying yes to any possibility in the form of a trip, challenge, adventure or new chapter. Her humor. Her selflessness. Her curiosity. Her capacity to give of herself. Her love of life. Her love for others. Her courage. Her humility. This was Nancy.
There are so many memories and stories. Some poignant. Some hysterical. Those are for another day.
She was a rock star. She was a super hero. Nancy could stare down a grizzly and achieve world peace and still refuse to call it a day. But it isn’t about the quantity of what she packed in to an hour...a day...a week...a month.....a life. Her example is how she lived. Her lesson is that she lived with a force and joy that was never-ending. Be like Nancy Coffey Mitchell.
Don’t let the parade pass you by.
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