"Nancy, This world has been a much better place with you in it and so will Heaven. I will miss you soooo much and hope that you will send me messages forever. Maybe I will be good enough to get there too! Please put in a good word for me. You have changed my life for the better. You are one of the kindest and most thoughtful people. I like to think that I am kinder and more thoughtful because of how you treated everyone in your life. You always brought a list of things to discuss whenever we met for lunch, happy hour, to say hi, to leave Sir Gary for his spoiling treatments or on the way to the cabin. I like to think I am better organized because of the way you organized things so you wouldn?t forget no matter how big or small. You laughed at yourself for all of the goofy things that I witnessed you do: Hanging up on yourself, test driving on the freeways so you?d know where the exits were, stealing my ideas for naming the next subdivisions we developed, unknowingly typing things that were about you while listening to my Dictaphone, meeting the entire Pine Flats neighborhood just because we were 5 minutes late and on and on! I like to think that I now laugh at myself more and take myself less seriously because of you. You let me be a judge for the Miss Arizona Pageants! Who wouldn?t want that job! I never knew it was just as political as anything else but I felt like I was the envy of every guy! I like to think that I am a better guy with a keener understanding of what those girls had to do and endure to accomplish what they did. You were always such a good sport whenever we competed whether it was a cook-off or darts. You know I love to win and win and win. I like to think I can now be a better loser because you lost to me soooo much, I now know how it should be done with grace. You were always careful whether it was riding on jet ski, making the trips to Sedona or more currently with this covid thing. I like to think I have become more cautious when appropriate but I?m not sure. At now I give it more thought. You could get anything for free when you set your mind to it and I often received the benefits of your talent. I now spend my birthdays at Denny?s, The Keg and Grimaldi?s and get my deserts at Nothing Bundt Cakes and Krispy Crème. You wrapped all the gifts for Christmas charities and joined in to give even more for those in need. I am a more generous person because of you but still not such a great wrapper. You tried to alter my license plate to get me in trouble. I like to think that I am a better trouble maker than you. You walked all the way to Desert Earth Works even when you shouldn?t have just to get to work. You are persistent and never want to let anyone down. I like to think some of that rubbed off on me. You are one of the most selfless people in this world. You put everybody including the four legged everybody?s before yourself. Your love shines through the darkest rooms of your house! I like to think I am somewhat of less selfish person because of what I saw in you. You sent me so many emails and some of them were so so long. At least I knew what day it was because the day was always the subject matter. I know I told you that I deleted them before reading them but you know better. If they have email in heaven, please continue! If they have cell phones in heaven, its high time you got one! I?m sure you are checking this for grammar but I?m not so concerned about that right now. I like to think that my writing skills are better because you never failed to alert me when I made a mistake even when it was on purpose just to see if you were still paying attention. But you can never forget who taught you what a gerund is. Nancy, the memories you gave us are wonderful. There is no one like you and you are the gem of gems. I was so scared when you asked that I be your Power of Attorney eight years ago. Not because I didn?t want to do it but because I was not sure I even knew what I was supposed to do and how to do it. Because of you, I learned and am still learning. I will not let you down no matter what ? you taught me that and it is an honor that I get to be there for you! I love you! Terry PS ? you did win that one game of darts so many years ago in Fountain Hills: you now have that in writing but that is the only time ever! "
In loving memory of
Nancy Wilson
January 10, 1940 - May 16, 2021
Nancy Wilson fully enjoyed her 81 years, writing "I don't like to even think about leaving this Earth." She fought an eight-year courageous battle, silently and privately, with a rare form of Waldenstrom's (WM) Lymphoma which on May 16, 2021, brought her undimmable spirit to Heaven. Nancy was loyal to her family and friends, and they will miss her everlasting uplifting attitude.
Nancy was born on January 10, 1940 in Augusta, Georgia, to parents Catherine Maddox Nixon and Walter Warren Wilson Sr., and raised in Graniteville, South Carolina, with her older brother, Walter Warren Wilson Jr. and older sister, Jane Holley Wilson. She remained close to both of her siblings throughout her life. While Nancy was not given a middle name, her mother wanted to name her Nancy "Pete" Wilson after her husband's adored brother, Peter Pickard Wilson. Nancy was preceded in death by her beloved brother Walter who she called Bubber. Her sister Jane has a lovely memory of putting Nancy in her bicycle basket when Nancy was three years old and Jane was 11, and riding down the hill in Graniteville with little Nancy's legs dangling out on either side of the basket. Jane loved Nancy very much and in later years visited Nancy in Phoenix and the two talked regularly on the phone.
Nancy graduated from Leavelle McCampbell High School, in Graniteville in 1958. After graduating from Newberry College in 1963, Nancy moved to Dallas, Texas where she worked at Texas Instruments. In 1993, she retired from Texas Instruments and seeking a change of scenery, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona and a position with Del Webb as an Administrative Assistant, where she became the "can-do" person and an indispensable team member.
Nancy adored her nieces and nephews, and they loved their Aunt Nancy very much. She never forgot a birthday and sent much-coveted letters and care packages to nieces and nephews in boarding school and college. Nancy was especially close to her niece Catherine Wilson whom she personally chauffeured to Hendersonville, NC every year so she too, could make summertime memories at Camp Kanuga as Nancy did during her own childhood.
Her other love was animals. . . hers and her friends'. She loved her cat Miss Tomi, who has been a "such a sweet love in her life," since 2014. She also loved her animal friends Sir Gary, Miss Truffle and Miss Ellye.
Nancy was friendly to everybody she met. Her friends stretch to all corners of this Earth. An unbreakable bond with the Yasukawa family of Japan remains forever in Nancy's heart. She was forthright and had no tolerance for negativity and no time for complainers, but when she liked you, she made you a friend for life and showered you with gifts and baked goods, attention, cards and letters! She let you know she loved you. An avid writer of the longhand letter, she asked about your children and pets, told you of her news, and she could and did right wrongs, critique performances, voice disappointment and hand out praise where deserved.
Nancy enjoyed friendly competition putting her cooking skills and knowledge of the English language to the test; she was a huge fan of Dancing with the Stars; she was the Queen of Happy Hour; and she refused to EVER get a cell phone. In addition to dogs and cats, she loved butterflies; she made a killer eggnog; she prided herself on her homemade peanut butter cups; she loved wrapping presents and used glue, not tape, on the seams; and she had superb detective skills and could find any person she had not seen or heard from for 50 years and add them to her very long list of good friends.
Nancy wanted to thank every person who helped her on her journey with cancer. Her entire team at The Mayo Clinic was special to her as were Nurses Patty, Angela and Gabriela at Dr. Reeder's office as well as Dr. Millstine. She said of all who helped with her medical care, "Your friendships will take me into the next chapter of my life, and I could not have done this without you. I looked forward to seeing your smiling faces every time I was at Mayo."
Thinking of others to the end, Nancy has set up a fund to help people who are unable to take on the financial responsibility of a pet but who would love to have one. If you are interested in contributing to this special fund in lieu of flowers, please send donations in the name of Nancy Wilson/Miss Tomi to Four-Legged Friends, ATTN: Dr. Val Ferguson, 3131 East Thunderbird Rd, Suite #59, Phoenix, AZ 85032-5611.
Nancy, along with those things she cherished, rests in the Solace Atrium located at Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary on 6500 East Bell Rd. Scottsdale, AZ. Atrium hours are from 7 am to 7 pm.