IN MEMORY OF DR. NANCY J. DAVIS MARCH 23, 1943 – NOVEMBER 20, 2010
|
 |
|
|
||
JEAN B. BAKER I commend you for this undertaking and I am happy to contribute.
Huretta's viewing- I was there, too. Spoke briefly with Nancy as there were so many friends of theirs there. Bob G took me in hand and I was able to speak briefly with Nancy and to say my last Hello to Huretta. I don't know if you know this or not but the two of them came to Maryville and I took them to a Lady Vols Basketball game. I swear it was one of the highlights of Huretta's life. She loved athletics. She said to me that she loved sports but her husband was the intellect and that Nancy took after him. She was putting herself down in a way. I didn't love that, of course. I have always suspected that the father was an intellect. I never met him, of course. I have only my meetings and phone calls with Huretta and my time with Nancy to assure me that Nancy's charm, concern for others, her pluck and her damned Tennessean spirit she got from Huretta. Jean B Baker
|
||
JEAN B. BAKER mia culpa Many plans have been set for remembering Nancy. You guys have to know right now, if you have not known before, that I cannot make any of the services. I cannot be in Tennessee and I cannot be in DC and I cannot be in Mass for a special remembrance. But I will be there in my soul. I will be hearing you. I will sing! Nancy said in her address to the Bread Loaf lovers assembled that I was not there due to failing health. It is true that my health is failing but it is not true that I am in failing health. Does that make any sense to you who love our language? It is true, however, that I am not enjoying the best of health. I take a dozen or more pills each day, but as my doctor says, "I am doing a pretty good job of keeping you going." I know that Nancy understood this place where I am because she sat in my chair. We joked about it as I have written before, and we both knew that we understood how serious each of us (was) suffering. We just tried to assure each other that we loved each other and that we loved our country. As usual, I have written beyond the scene More verbal diarrhea ..... I am trying to tell each of you why I cannot be there physically but I will be there spiritually-- I want you all to know that I want to be there at every function so that I can quietly shout my love for this little inch of a woman whom I call my dear, dear friend...jbb |
||
JEANIE GODDARD Dearest of Hearts! Oh lost and by the wind grieved! It is a bright and sunny Sunday morning, and I cannot bear to take in the news about our Nancy. Her brave spirit was ready for the fight, but her body was not. How happy I am that she slipped away in her sleep without having to face all the tricky decisions of surgery after surgery and pain after pain that have consumed her this last year. How dear she was to all of us and how I rejoice that her illness brought us all together in this extraordinary e-mail way. As a literary soul, Nancy probably would have preferred that we send one another beautifully crafted notes and sonnets, but I have treasured every e-mail I have received from all of you. Suzanne captured the Bread Loaf years perfectly, even though she did leave out the buttercup protest--when they tried to mow the meadow, Nancy and I staged a protest at lunch to save the buttercups---we, alas, lost. I, too, am thinking about Huretta. Much Love to All, Jeanie
Subject: January Party for Our Nancy Tennessee Dear Hearts All-- While I know that there might be a D.C. memorial service for Nancy after Thanksgiving and a family service in Chattanooga, John, Susan, and I are also planning a celebration for our Nancy in Boston after the holidays--after all, she deserves as many sendoffs as possible! We are hoping to serve all of her favorite foods (John's volcano cake---a cake invented for Huretta's b-day, Jeanie's lobster, scallop, and shrimp pasta that Nancy loved to scarf down on Christmas Eve, the blueberry muffins from the New Year's Day Brunch, Susan's specialties et al, et al), open all her favorite wines, drink her favorite coffees and teas, read poems and passages, rage against her political foes, play Jo Stafford tunes (John's idea!), and tell Nancy T tales long into the night. Even though we know traveling north in January can be dicey, we wanted to extend an invitation to you all and to anyone else you might know who is not on this email. We'll have a specific weekend nailed down soon, and we'll contact everyone. This summer, I plan to do a road trip to the Bread Loaf meadow and the Larch well to scatter some of Nancy's ashes---I would love company for that event as well. Somehow Thanksgiving is the most appropriate holiday for Nancy's passing---our gratitude that her suffering has ended and our thanks for knowing such a spirit can temper our sadness and loss. Much love and greetings to all, Jeanie Eaton Goddard
|
Nancy and I staged a protest at lunch to save the buttercups---we, alas, lost. |
|
BOB GALLAGHER I am so sorry to hear that Nancy has had to end her brave fight against those huge health obstacles, and for such a long time. My deepest sympathies are with you, Darrell and Barbara. I will return to Maryland on Monday and will contact everyone as soon as possible on Tuesday. Fondly, Bob
|
||
Nancy and Professor Wyely Sypher at graduation in 1969 He was Nancy's idol and mentor. |
LOUISE KEMPKA I asked Louise to tell me the story on Professior Wylie Sypher....I just knew there was one! Darrell, There is a story, but no romance. Wylie Sypher was one of the most respected and well-loved faculty at Bread Loaf during our time there. He was Nancy's idol and mentor. Everyone was in awe of him. He was way above my brain waves and I avoided his classes out of sheer terror. Nancy did very well in his classes and, I believe, kept in touch with him and his wife, Lucy, in Boston. He died in 1987. I think he adored her and the ladies in Larch. I was always somewhat embarrassed that I didn’t have the intellectual nerve to register for one of his courses. People said his Shakespeare course was incredible. At BL, spouses usually spent the summer with the professors so his wife, Lucy, was a big part of campus life during our time. Here is what someone wrote about him: Notice the underlined sentence. He received an honorary degree at BL the same year Nancy graduated. “Professor of English and writer on art history. Sypher was born to Harry Wylie Sypher and Martha Berry (Sypher). He graduated from Amherst College in 1927, continuing for two master's degrees, the first from Tufts University, in 1929 and, after marrying Lucy Johnston the same year, pursued a second from Harvard University in 1932. He joined Simmons College, Boston, as an instructor beginning in 1929. Sypher was awarded his Ph.D., from Harvard in 1937. At Simmons, Sypher advanced through the ranks, being promoted to assistant professor in 1936, and associate professor, 1941 and professor of English in 1945. He was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1949-50, and again in 1958-59. In 1963 Sypher wrote his groundbreaking anthology of art history, Art History: An Anthology of Modern Criticism. Together with that of German Readings in the History and Theory of Fine Arts by Margaret Bieber (q.v.) in 1946, it was one of the first anthologies of art-historical literature published in the United States and the first with full English translations. In 1966 he was named alumnae professor of English. He received a Litt.D., from Middlebury College, 1969, retiring from Simmons professor emeritus in 1973. After retirement he was awarded L.H.D.'s from Simmons College, 1973, and Amherst College, 1977. Throughout his life, Sypher wrote on the history of art in addition to literature, often combining both. Sypher viewed art history and criticism as essentially the same thing. Defining style as the essence of an art form, Sypher's works trace art as it modulates formally without perceptible effect from social forces.” source: the Dictionary of Art Historians. You might be able to tell from this description above why I was intimidated by the man, Not Nancy!! Louise Carl and Louise Kempka |
|
LOUISE KEMPKA Nancy Tennessee On a sunny day in Vermont in June 1967 I first came to Bread Loaf. I drove up to the Inn, registered, and was assigned a room in a place called Larch, which ended up being a small white building with about 15 double rooms. So I drove my loaded car around the corner to Larch; on the porch were returning students having their first drinks of the session. Among them was Nancy, my roommate. I walked up on the porch and, when I met Nancy, I said something like: “Oh, you’re the person who is sharing my room!” She quickly straightened me out when she said: “No, you are sharing my room!” And, off we went on a life-long friendship. It was my first summer at Bread Loaf and Nancy’s second. She was the first southerner I had ever met. We had in common growing up in pretty sheltered environments and, before Bread Loaf, not venturing very far from home. The rooms in Larch were nothing to brag about: two single beds, two desks, two straight-backed chairs and a closet, which was nothing but a rod hidden from view by a curtain. I was stunned. I joined everybody on the porch and from that time on, Nancy and others, who that year or in later years shared that porch, have been the dearest of friends. Nancy and I were roommates for all four of my summers at Bread Loaf. Although we often talked about returning, our final summer was 1971.
From 1968 until her move to Boston in 1970, Nancy joined me in teaching high school English in the Alexis I. DuPont School District in Greenville, Delaware, where I had been employed since 1966. There were years when we lived far apart and communicated occasionally by phone, note, cards, or a visit. A bunch of us went to a Bread Loaf reunion in 1994 and then, for several years, had smaller gatherings at Sue and Bill Liggett’s farm. In 1995 Nancy and Huretta visited us in NJ on her move from Cambridge to Chattanooga. In 1998, when she moved to Bethesda, I moved to NC. After my retirement in 2005, our friendship flourished when I was able to visit her more frequently and often stopped with her on trips to visit family in PA and DE. After Nancy retired and as her health declined, I spent more time with her. We always made those visits enjoyable. Sue Liggett would come over from her farm; Bob Gallagher lived close by. The four of us would have dinner and reminisce and discuss and exchange critiques on Netflix movies. In June of 2009 Nancy made her last journey to Bread Loaf - seven of us reunited at Bread Loaf for the 90th anniversary celebration of its founding. Nancy saw many old friends there. It was a very special time for all of us. Louise Wagner Kempka
|
|
|
LINDA MINKOFF Darrell and Anne - I am so very, very sorry. We all loved her dearly. She was a fighter to the end, but now she is at peace. I know I am too far away to be immediately useful, but if there is anything I can do at this end to help you with anything, please let me know. Linda Minkoff |
||
LUZ MIREYA Hello Darrell; Thank you for the prompt response about the services. Dan's graduation is on Friday, December 17. I had mentioned to Anne the possibility of us not being able to attend the services this weekend. God is in control and we'll pray all goes well. I was looking forward to hear everyone's stories about Nancy; perhaps someone will be able to tape the service for us that can not attend. My prayer is that we stay in touch with you and Nancy's family in Tennessee. She and I talked about visiting Chattanooga, New England, Kenya, India... well so many places that Nancy loved... and wanted to share with me. I hope we can still visit you all someday and experienced the southern hospitality Nancy cherished so much. With so much love; Dan and Luz Mireya Luz Mireya 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[a] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7 (NKJV) |
Nancy picked out this card for Luz's birthday in June of 2003! CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR |
|
LUZ MIREYA Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Chicago, IL Dear All; Foremost, I did not expect to write this much. My initial intent was to speak of the pictures I am sharing about Nancy and I from 1999-2005. Darrell had asked to share with him how we, her friends, met Nancy. I am sorry it took me this long to write and perhaps wrote more than what Darrell had initially asked for. I think it is part of my healing process. Now that I did, I am excited for my children, which I hope to have someday. They will know of Nancy, and I am glad I have these memories in writing since my memory is not doing well these days. For the rest of Luz Mireya's very interesting story & several pictures
|
||
JOHN MINER dear darrell, i didn't find out about nancy's death till after i tried calling her around 9:00 a.m. i left a cheery message for her about calling me back. then i opened sue liggett's email, referring to nancy in the past tense, so i knew something was up. then a reference to her passing. i opened up one email after another and finally got to your announcement. afterward i called friends to reach out and connect the way nancy always did--she was the connectingest person i've ever met. so now it's time for me to go visit my mother, but i'll stay in touch. if you're having the funeral this week, i won't be able to make it, but i'd definitely like to come down next summer to spend a week getting to meet all the folks who meant so much to her. john |
||
man oh man, am i glad i stayed up late last night to write it. i was probably composing my thoughts at the time of nancy's death. what more fitting leave-taking and memorial could there be? fond memories of our first meeting recollected at the moment of saying goodbye. man oh man. john |
||
JOHN MINER When John Met Nancy Nancy was just coming off a “love affair” with a guy named Herman, whom I was jealous of because I knew I just couldn’t match. Besides, Nancy was my supervisor at Charles River Hospital (CRH), and jealousy of that sort was out of the question. Besides #2, I was gay and had no right to claim Nancy. (But neither had Herman—same reason.) Even more besides (#3), Herman was dead. Even, even more besides (#4), she wasn’t in love with Herman at all—it was Chad, as Jeannie Baker later confided to me. Sound confusing? Well, yeah! Let me present the context of our meeting, which hardly serves to clarify things, only turning the tale into an even more confusing courtly intrigue. I was accepted (the term used advisedly, as I certainly wasn’t anybody’s first choice) into the training slot at CRH after another intern bowed out at the last minute, leaving no other alternative than me, who had not been accepted into any other post. I entered to face the formidable Hedy Wermer, a pinnacle of Ice Queen aplomb, who deigned to be my primary supervisor, supported by Leslie Smith my secondary, Nicki Fedele and Alan Goldberg my group supervisors, Lynn What’s-her-name my substance use supervisor (who refused to supervise me for some unknown reason), Jeff Bryer supervisor of testing, Gerry Stechler my didactic instructor, Somebody Green my family systems supervisor, and Marsha Merkin and Nancy the overall heads of internship training (Marsha for adolescents, Nancy for adults). Very early in the year I overheard a psychiatrist (John Mogan) say how wonderful the past interns had been, not to mention a very experienced and gifted fellow intern that same year (Liz Sparks). Here I was a grass-green, at-best second choice, plowing my way through a maze of patients’ needs, supervisors’ expectations, and idealized models from past and present, not to mention a heavy graduate course load. After four months trying to satisfy the Ice Queen, things came to a head when my other supervisors became aware of how unhappy I was (read tears from a man who rarely cries). At this point Nancy stepped in, announcing, “I’ll supervise John.” From then on the wintry sky brightened, promising a fairer future. Hedy faded from the picture, Leslie quit, Lynn gave up her inexplicable hostility (now merely avoiding me), Gerry saw no problems in my understanding of concepts he taught, and Alan okayed me in my group work. I co-led groups of very psychotic patients with Beth Harrington, who encouraged me to empathize with their feelings, rather than get caught up in their fantasies (a very useful approach that I’ve been applying ever since in my work with children.) They say it’s good to deal with your most difficult situations and cases under supervision while you’re an intern. But to have your behind exposed all the time to so many people was a bit much. Nancy in her gentle and self-effacing way gave balm to my sore behind. She perceived untrained but potential talents I did not yet see myself. We both loved literature and would swap quotes from poems in supervision, which gave me footing in things familiar that I needed at that insecure time. She understood me without my having to put much into words, and we both responded to patients in similar ways. We both loved patients that had few material or educational privileges but who had faced the world bravely and had acquired a hard-knock wisdom and gumption. I felt Nancy trusted me, and I trusted her. Our mutual respect grew into love over the course of years. I now consider her my next-of-kin outside my family, and I hope she feels the same toward me. John |
John and Nancy in the spring of 2005
|
|
Did you happen to notice when I sent my final version of what I wrote last night? It was at 11:30, the exact time when they found Nancy unresponsive. John |
||
PRISCILLA D From: Priscilla Dear Darrell, I have just received this very said news. I hadn't checked my computer for a few days, so just found out via a phone call from John Minor. OH... yes... very sad news indeed. I can't quite believe it or wrap my brain around it quite yet. I spoke with Nancy last week and she sounded quite well. I am so fortunate to have known her and have had a chance to be with her recently. I have never known anyone like her. I always felt so wonderful in her presence. I love your idea about a book for her. I think it would be wonderful to still do it. I am so lucky to have met you, Darrell, and be with you while you interacted with Nancy. I shall never forget the overwheming love and care you gave to her. Thank you, too, for letting me be there with you. The people surrounding Nancy always impressed me greatly. Let me know & I will send along something. Please keep me on your list as I would like to be involved in anyway that honors Nancy. My prayers & deepest sympathies to you and your family. How we will all miss her! Love, Priscilla Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 21:24:15 -0500
Priscilla so sorry the news was late getting to you but I'm so thankful you were able to be down with Nancy during these last days. I was looking forward to getting back up there to let her know what a time we had with her that week. She was feeling pretty good just weak and not a lot of energy but otherwise very alert and with all her life under control including medications and plans for her future. I'm thankful she was able to go peacefully in her sleep if she had to go now. Thanks so much for being here with her and for all your loving attention to her. She loved you and was looking forward to seeing you again. I'll keep you on my list and I intend to go ahead with the pages so please send me something you want to share with everybody. Talk with you soon. May God Bless, Darrell
Dear Darrell, Nancy is in the best of hands, that is for sure. I feel so thankful for all your emails, and what a wonderful plan you have to honor her. I will send some words very soon for the book. What a force she was. God Bless you & your family. Priscilla
|
||
DR. BARBARA MANDELKORN COLEMAN I am reading these emails on the plane going back out to AZ to tend to my ailing stepmother again... and I am trying to believe that Nancy is gone. I love reading what her old friends are writing, because I didn't know Nancy till much later, when she worked in the psych dept with me at Charles River Hospital in Wellesley; but she talked a lot about Breadloaf, and her friends there and how much they meant to her. Lots of great stories of course, always. And I'll never forget the one time I met her mother, she came up with Nancy to visit, and Nancy had told her I had never had a shoo-fly pie -- well, she brought one she had made, all the way (at that point) from Chattanooga! It was delicious. And they were amazing together. Nancy was one of a kind, and I am so glad our life paths crossed, and so sorry for the amount of suffering she had to go through. She is at peace, and never could anyone feel more loved and supported than she was as things got worse; she was blessed to have you, and you were blessed as well. It is a privilege to even be on the fringes, as I am, and share that kind of love and generosity. Barbara Dr. Barbara Mandelkorn Coleman
|
||
JOAN LAPLANTE I am sitting here crying at my computer. Nancy and I were first year Bread Loafers together in the summer of 1966. Having been a commuting college student, I was 21 years old, and this was my first time away from home. I was apprehensive and insecure, and no one helped me adjust more than tiny, brilliant, and witty Nancy Tennessee. Even though we were both rookies, she eased into Bread Loaf culture, and I got to tag along. I had my first glass of sherry under her guidance. She even talked me into a two-person performance of a musical version of Hamlet- Oklahamlet, which we put on in Jeanie Baker's room. Nancy and I lost contact several times over the years, but I was thrilled to get her always late and delightful Christmas cards. And when we got together at Bread Loaf last year, it was as if we had never left. How I will cherish those moments even more now. Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet Nancy, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! God bless,
|
||
GEORGE JORDAN It was the spring of 2000. Roger and I had just moved in next door to Nancy. I went next door to ask Nancy if it would bother her if I hammered on the walls to put up pictures. She said it would not bother her at all. From then on we started talking more and more. I knew Nancy was my type of Gal (which I know she would not want me calling her :) when Luz was staying with her and they could not turn the gas off. They called the fire department and she said that was the easiest way to get men into her bed, I mean condo :) (Excuse me, but I am from the south so I always need to add a little to the story). Another story was when my parents and grandmother where visiting and 911 happened. Hurretta was nice enough to have us all over to dinner a few weeks after this tragedy. Being that my parents and Grandmother are from Kentucky, they loved her food. I believe the subject of Afghanistan came up and she said that we should blow their ass off the map (at least that's how I heard it). I am sure she said it much more politly. I think Nancy almost fell out of her chair. :) and then there is Jean, but maybe I should stop the stories now. Anyway, Darrell hope you and your family are doing well. George |
||
ELEANOR SAUNDERS I am one of Nancy's old colleagues from Charles River Hospital and wanted to convey my deep sympathy to you about her passing. She obviously fought long and hard to recover, and, I hope, went in peace. Thank you so much for sharing with us all the news about her -- both good and sad -- during your visits and now. It was heartening to know that loving family and friends were able to be there so much of the time and that she was able to derive great comfort from your presence and theirs. Nancy has a special place in my heart, and my husband's, because it was on a trip with her the summer before she left Boston that my husband and I met. She had wanted to visit places in New England that she loved before returning to Chattanooga, and we made plans to go to the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in western Massachusetts. We hadn't been able to get a reservation at the inn where Nancy had originally hoped to stay, but that inn recommended another place nearby, where they gave guests the option of having dinner on concert nights. The meals were served at long tables on a patio by a lovely stream, and my husband was one of the other guests. He and I had struck up a conversation while waiting for dinner to be served. With tack and graciousness, Nancy kept the other people at our table engaged in conversation, giving Jim and me more of a chance to talk and get to know one another. So we have always considered her the guardian angel who helped us begin our life together. For that and many other reasons during our years of working together, her memory will remain vivid for me. Again, my condolences, but also my certainty that you have had many, many wonderful times with Nancy to cherish and be grateful for. Eleanor Saunders |
|
|
|
MARGE BOYLE Dear Darrell and Friends of Nancy, I knew Nancy from Bread Loaf, from Larch, from the Larch well and the Larch porch. I arrived in 1968 and all the Larch women (Nancy, Sue, Jean, Jeannie, Louise) already had had a few years together, but they took me in, too, and initiated me into the ways wit and wisdom could meet. Nancy was probably the first real storyteller I ever met; certainly, she was the first Southerner I had ever met, and maybe the two go together. I loved listening to Nancy talk. Over the years, I'd see Nancy at Bread Loaf reunions, in Vermont and sometimes in Virginia, and, once, I think, with Huretta in New Jersey. Most recently, I had the pleasure of enjoying Nancy's company at the reunion the summer before this. Despite all her many surgeries and her significant physical discomfort, Nancy was, as ever, game for whatever came up. Folks had arranged for a cabin on the campus to be at our disposal in case Nancy needed to rest during the day, but, as far as I could see, she used it to host wine and cheese parties each afternoon for the old gang. And Nancy could so quickly start, "Do you remember when . . .?" and off she'd go on a story I had long forgotten. Nancy, indeed, was one of a kind, and I'll miss her, as we all will. She had a lovely spirit. Marge |
|
(Below are some emails from & to Nancy’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) friends & co-workers
|
And btw -- – the flag is flying at half mast at the SAMHSA building…........... Anne Mathews Younes |
|
RICHARD ? (FROM SAMHSA) Subject: With great sadness By now you have all heard that our good friend and colleague, Nancy Davis, died late on Saturday evening. For those of us who had the joy of working with Nancy over the years before her retirement, she will be deeply missed. We will never forget her kind and gentle nature, which was matched only by the power of her commitment to prevention. She and Gail Ritchie were the first stewards of the Campus Suicide Prevention program, and she also served as the GPO for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and numerous other suicide prevention projects. She has left behind an enduring, and life saving, legacy Richard |
A fun photo of Nancy at the 2001 rollout of the SG Report with Dr. Satcher and the Scientific Editors |
|
ERIC BRODERICK From: Broderick, Eric (SAMHSA/OA)
I regret to inform you that on Saturday, November 20, our former colleague and friend, Dr. Nancy Davis, passed away after a long illness. Nancy began working in SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services in 1998. People knew Nancy for her charming, Southern wit as much as her scholarly contributions on preventing mental illness and promoting mental health. Nancy was a passionate advocate for improving access to health care, especially mental health services, having worked as a clinical psychologist in Boston and Tennessee (her home State) for over 20 years. She worked tirelessly to improve the quality and availability of prevention and treatment services for the children of our Nation. While many of you will remember her work, many more of you will remember her sense of humor and good nature despite her own physical challenges. “Scooter” Davis was often seen charging down the hallways from meeting to meeting on her mobility scooter with her homemade license plate “SPD DEMON.” Nancy retired from SAMHSA in 2008 when her body could no longer keep up with her desire to work full time. Nancy had no family in this area so many of her colleagues had become her family. While she enjoyed the benefits of retirement, Nancy missed the daily intellectual and social connection that work provided. It is a testament to Nancy’s spirit that she drew interesting and diverse people together and maintained many lifelong friendships. I wish to extend my thanks and condolences to those of you who stepped in and filled Nancy’s life with friendship and support when she most needed it. I know there are examples of this spirit and friendship all over SAMHSA and it makes me proud to work with all of you.
|
||
ILZE RUDITIS From: Ruditis, Ilze (SAMHSA/CMHS)
Dear Colleagues (or Hi folks --as Nancy might have said.....), Nancy was an intrepid spirit, --in all things, who truly made samhsa proud. If among you or in her assigned division and branch anyone would wish to set aside a room for 'thoughtful contemplation' or in other ways, to commemorate her in a contriubtion or activity in a more lasting way, I would be interested to participate. Through the dynamic of retirements and change quite a few of her peers aren't in samhsa now...much of her impact is in the field, among grantee sites and elsewhere. I wish to offer my sympathy and support to those who are closest to her, family and friends. If there is more info over time...please let me know-- Her faith and her family were very important to her. Sincerely, Ilze |
||
| GAIL RITCHIE From: Ritchie, Gail (SAMHSA/CMHS)
Ilze, What a lovely email. It is a sad day but I will continually remember the enormous contribution she made here and in my life as her friend. ~Gail |
||
| JEANIE GODDARD From: Brooks / Jeanie
Dear Anne---I wanted to send my love and thanks to you for all you have done and are still doing for our Nancy. You have been such a rock for Nancy, not only finding her a stimulating professional position, but sustaining her in every other way as well. Being the executrix is no easy task, and you and Bob Gallagher deserve our never ending thanks for making Nancy's many trains run on time. I would so appreciate a sense of when you might want to arrange a service for Nancy in D.C. so I can make the necessary arrangements for travel and hotel. You will see from my earlier e-mail that we are planning something in Boston in January, but, of course, if you wanted to do something in January in D.C., we could postpone ours for later. I wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving. Sincerely,
|
||
From: Mathews-Younes, Anne (SAMHSA/CMHS)
Dear David and Jim – I wanted to be sure that you heard this news….Nancy was extraordinarily helpful with your Asbury Suicide Prevention meeting and also did the lions share of the writing of the tool kit. I thought that you would like to know….We have not yet planned a memorial service, but it will not be immediately – the e mail below is from Nancy’s cousin in Tennessee. Thanks for all that you do! Anne From: Denton, David (AMV) @Asbury
Hi Anne and Jim, I'm so sorry to hear this news. Nancy was a remarkable woman/human being and I feel blessed to have known her. It is so sad that she is no longer with us and at the same time, I am certain her Thanksgiving celebration began Sunday night when she met her Maker and was reunited with all her friends and loved ones who passed before her. She will be in my thoughts on Thursday as I give thanks for all the people, living and deceased, who have touched my life and influenced who I am today...Nancy, Jim, and you are all included on this list. Blessings to both of you, David |
||
CECILIA CASALE Dear Anne and Teresa: Thanks for sharing, Nancy was a dear friend and a very special person. I'm relieved to know that her passing was peaceful. This week we'll give thanks for the privilege of knowing Nancy and to have shared her contributions to the field and to all of us. Let me know the memorial arrangements, I'd love to come if I'm in town. Cecilia Rivera Casale, Ph.D.
|
||
(End of emails from & to Nancy’s SAMHSA friends & co-workers shared by Anne Mathews Younes)
|
||
ANNE FRETZ Hello Darrell, I am Susan Jordan's sister and live in Maryland right outside DC. I became acquainted with Nancy through my sister during her visits down here. I was so sorry to hear about Nancy's death. She was an amazing person- so thoughtful, intelligent, wise and articulate- and despite all her difficulties, she maintained her sense of humor. This past year must have been excruciating for her, as she endured almost constant pain. I visited her at Hopkins last Wednesday, and though she seemed fragile and tired, she was surprisingly conversant, asking me about my children and my recent trip to England. In fact, she told me some details about a trip to Europe she had taken many years ago while still in college, which I think helped to open up the world to her. During my visit, the nurse (Debbie) came in to talk with Nancy about her move from Hopkins back to Asbury. I didn't think she was strong enough for such a move but was glad to hear she would be taken there by ambulance and not by car. I then spoke with Nancy by phone the next day (Thursday) to tell her I would be able to take her back to Hopkins in early Dec. for an appointment. She said she'd had a headache the day I visited but that she was feeling better when we talked by phone- and her voice was stronger and more animated. I hoped that she was on an upward trajectory toward recovery, and so was surprised and dismayed that she had passed away. You have been a wonderful support to her, which is difficult to accomplish from a distance. I'm so glad you have been there for her, and I know she appreciated it. I do hope she is in a better place now and finally at peace. Warm regards, Anne |
||
Nancy and my sister and brother-in-law and me and Bill (on the right) at a restaurant where we went fleeing from more turkey on the Friday following Thanksgiving in 2009. She looked in great condition then. |
SUE LIGGETT 11/21/10 Dear Darrell and all, I spoke to Nancy late afternoon yesterday. We didn't talk long, but she said she was depressed and discouraged by all the recent events. I promised to call her today. She announced her chicken noodle soup had arrived and she was about to have her supper. And as always she thanked me for calling and said she was sorry she wouldn't make it to the farm for Thanksgiving. This news, of course, is stunning and sad for all of us. For years now Nancy has struggled to regain good health only to have some new malfunction or invasion set her back further from that goal. Just recently all she sought was comfort both of body and mind. My hope now is that Huretta was waiting for her, and she has found the peace and comfort no worldly treatment could provide. Her Bread Loaf friends have memories of Nancy that go back over 40 years. They include playing volley ball, dancing, sherry at the well before dinner, taking long walks and swimming at Johnson's pond on the Bread Loaf Campus. They also include lots of shared mischief, plenty of laughter and delight in sharing our newest perspective on some novel or poem. And falling in love with Wylie and Lucy Sypher. So Nancy went quietly in the dark leaving us with a lifetime of rich memories. She is not replaceable. Sue Bill & Sue Liggett |
|
SUSAN JORDAN Hi Darrell, I went through our photo albums and found a bunch you might like - Nancy and the kids. She sure looks different in many of them. She was really a part of our family until she went to Chattanooga. Then we didn't see her on birthdays or Christmas. And then the kids became less willing to pose for pictures. You can use what you like. Warm regards, Click here for Susan's pictures. Hi- I wanted to send along the most recent information I have on Nancy's passing. I talked with Debbie, the very nice and generous-with-her-time nurse on the 8th floor. I called the unit last night to tell them of Nancy's death- the nurse I spoke with was shocked. Debbie was not there then. When I spoke with Debbie today, she told me the following: She knew that Adela had visited Nancy till 9:30 or so, after which Nancy was given a bath. She participated and was alert and oriented. At the end she asked the nurse for another Valium. When the nurse came back with it Nancy was gone. No way to explain it. So sudden. I wonder if it was a heart attack? I think she was peaceful- thank the Lord. With love, Susan |
It is good to know that Nancy was not alone and she was feeling better about |
|
|
||
| Jean Baker is now in TN. Sue is in Virginia, west of Nancy. Louise is in NC. Pennie moved over the river into NH. Marge is still in NJ; Joan in RI; Bob in MD; Jean Goddard in MA. Together we cover 8 states. 2008 | ||
