Nancy's memorial service was held at Kearney Funeral Services in Vancouver on Wednesday, February 21st, and many friends and colleagues of both Nancy and Barrie came. Nancy's sister Mary Carol assisted with the orchestrations and along with nephew Chris met many of the guests personally. Barrie's daughter Sara conducted the agenda on behalf of the family, while her husband Mike and their three boys acting as ushers. Barrie's eldest son Peter and his wife helped to greet guests, and during the tribute Barrie's son Doug played a beautiful guitar instrumental which he had written for Nancy, and it was simply overwhelming.
So many of Nancy's friends came, and several of them spoke during the proceedings, all with fond and genuinely touching recollections. Emails and letters had come from colleagues and friends, including one from one of Nancy's oldest friends who has known Nancy for 50 years. As much as can be posted will be placed here for viewing.
Nancy's body was returned to Vancouver but was not presented for viewing, and the burial on Pender Island will take place on Friday, February 23.
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Many years ago a good friend of mine suggested that the best measure of a person was seen in their ability to elevate people around them to a higher level of being. To me, this is the greatest example of Nancy's life and her contributions to the lives of those people she knew. Nancy was a person of tremendous compassion and empathy, which complemented her truly exceptional intellect. For some people this could have been a formula for vanity or selfishness, but Nancy was neither of these. Instead, she displayed great patience with a willingness to engage in a positive manner in all things, and was as dignified as she was personable.
Growing up with her letters and gifts from far off places was like being offered pieces to a Sherlock Holmes story, every tidbit was more substance for thought and intrigue, and her visits were cherished events because they were always so fascinating. Hearing stories of travels through many countries, with her calm demeanor, made life seem as if it was in fact a managable experience, even while fording rivers in Sri Lanka during monsoon season. Nancy had a kind of reserved aplomb which made me see her in the light of a seasoned explorer, which in fact she really was.
I have tremendous memories of Nancy helping to turn the hand crank on the ice cream maker in Urbana, flying kites on Cape Cod, touring the old missions of California, whale watching in Big Sur, and every experience was always complemented with her gentle laugh and ability to point out more detail than was obvious. Her ability to spot birds in the field and to point out the footprints of animals was almost magical.
Nancy was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known, and the fact that I was privileged to grow up with her as my aunt was a life's blessing. Her presence in my life has led me to see things beyond the limits of my own experience, and to challenge myself to always seek out greater and greater insight into the simplest of details, because there is always more there than our eyes will see. The words shared by her friends and colleagues at her memorial service rang completely true. She was a mentor of great stature, a friend worthy of the highest levels of confidence and trust, a colleague of highly reliable skill and acumen, and a person of such humanitarianism that she emoted care and consideration in everything she did and said.
Stepping away from this day, I go forth in my own life with an overwhelming sense of loss, but also the greatest of inspiration that the standard for true excellence as a person was displayed by her to the world, and that carrying on with this as a guide for living is the highest honor anyone could bestow on the memory of such a fine being.
In all things, Nancy remains as one of my greatest and most beloved teachers of life.
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