If you knew her, you can count yourseld lucky. Nancy was such a wonderful person, caring and kind and loving yes, but also wise and intelligent and so, so funny. She would pride herself on herself on her ability to tell you an absolutely unbelievable story and get you to believe it. Fortunately for us all, she only used those powers for good and not evil.
Nancy as a mom was the mom that everyone wanted. She did all the normal mom things, hugs when we were sad, bandaids if we were hurt, consequences when we were bad and praise when we did something great. It wasn't until well into my teenage years that I understood just how great she was. How not everyone gets a parent who loves them unconditionally. It wasn't until I saw my own friends gravitate towards her when they needed advice or guidance instead of their own parents that I realized how amazing she was. How lucky I was to have been born to parents who provided such a solid foundation.
As a wife, she was a friend and partner. Married for 43 years, my mom and dad shared all of the ups and downs. They raised three kids while taking a huge leap to start their own business. The hardships and working through them just made the relationship stronger.
As a friend, she would add a spark to every gathering. She was easy to talk to with a great sense of humour. Nancy was the friend who knew when to show up, when you needed a hug and she always managed to find the best gift for your birthdays. She gave the best advice. No matter how big the crisis, she had a solution.
There wasn't a baby or a puppy out there that didn't melt in her arms. "Gran" made the best banana chocolate chip muffins and the best turkey soup. Every birthday was an opportunity to spoil the grand kids.
Nancy was a nurse and a small business owner. In retirement, she bacame a traveller and adventurer. While she did not get the chance to visit all the places she wanted to, she had made a good start by organizing trips to different countries all over the world. She was a big Blue Jays fan, loved the theatre and film and really enjoyed her excercise classes. Christmas was by far Nancy's favourite holiday, I think it's when we miss her the most, it's just not the same.