“Oh, now, it’s too far from your heart to kill ya.”
Nancy would tell a much adored child who’d skinned her knee — after she’d cleaned up the scrape and made sure the kid was okay, of course.
Undoubtedly, Nancy would offer a similar encouragement now to loved ones grieving her passing on February 28, 2024 in Santa Claus: feel the hurt, then get up and keep going towards the good stuff ahead.
Born November 24, 1947 in Mattoon, Illinois, to William Earl Reynolds and Ruth Nolan Snider, Nancy was that special kind of combination: part warmth and affection, part stark reality and high expectations, and 100% unconditional love.
Nancy was a childhood resident of Carlisle and a business school graduate. She was the very proud mother of three children- Chris, Steven and Anita- whom she raised in Arizona and Indiana.
She retired from a career she loved as a fiscal manager for Vincennes University. In her retirement, Nancy took every opportunity she had to travel, preferably with friends and family, and perhaps best of all with her granddaughter and favorite SkipBo opponent Keiara, with whom she was planning a return trip to Hawaii this summer.
Nancy’s greatest point of pride was her family — all of it. Anyone who’d ever been Nancy’s family stayed her family, no matter the distance or shifts in relationships. She was known for hosting big family holiday dinners every year, spoiling appetites with her homemade cinnamon rolls, and practically writing the instruction manual on how to give a really, really good hug! In spirit and in person, Nancy showed up for her people, without fail.
Among those missing Nancy today are her survivors: brothers Earl McPeak (Marie) and Tom Reynolds (Phyllis); children Chris Brosmer, Steven Brosmer, and Anita Begle (Gerald); granddaughter Keiara Begle, and many other grandchildren she loved dearly. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Earl Reynolds and Ruth Nolan Snider (Kenneth) and her big brother Ed McPeak (Yvonne).
Maya Angelou said, “At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” Nancy is proof of that truth, as people now recount memories of Nancy that, while varied, are all woven with an unmistakably consistent thread: Nancy cared about you. You never wondered where she stood. You always knew you mattered.
That’s how it felt to be in Nancy’s fold. And that’s something her loved ones will always cherish.
A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held Sunday, May 26, 1-4 p.m. at Flip & Twist Gym, 10586 S 100W, Ferdinand, Indiana 47532.
All are invited to share memories and stories of Nancy by emailing: [email protected].
