Beautiful, witty, talented, determined, unstoppable —just a few insufficient words…insufficient, because how can one really convey Nancy in mere words? 

She  was an unforgettable force from the age of 2…ask anyone who knew her.🌹

She was the new girl in class, 4th grade at Cleveland School. I spotted her on the playground and was a little envious of her woolen jumper, which was a bold plaid of pink, pale blue, white and lime green. Nancy the New Kid was outgoing and determined to meet EVERYONE.  And so we met, and we remained pretty inseparable until years later when college and adulting took their toll on our time together and we found different circles to move in. 

We had a blast though. Shirley, Nancy's mom, used to escort her to and from our house, even though our houses were only about 200 yards apart. Shirley's protective nature was inspiration for some of Nancy's funniest jokes ("One day when I get my driver's license, my mom will only let me drive on the sidewalk.") Nancy and Cindy shared a bedroom, so time spent with Nancy meant time with Cindy, which was SUCH a bonus, and I built up so much core strength in my high school years laughing for hours a few nights each week. 

We never drank. We never did drugs, we never smoked anything. We just laughed. 

Nancy was a high-maintenance friend. She could be exhausting, especially when we had a difference of opinion and she was determined to change my mind, or when I drew a portrait of her and she refused to admit it looked like her ("it doesn't look like me but it's a great somebody else!").  She grabbed onto causes and fought like hell for them, something she continued to do every day of her life. When I watched her interview with Mike Wallace on '60 Minutes' just a year or two after her accident, I realized she probably had her highest calling thrust upon her that day, and she grabbed it with all the fight she had. 

So I imagine our girl is running free, still dancing badly (instead of the Boogaloo, she did some weird Elaine-type thing she called the Beckerloo), and once again after way too long, serenading the angels with her beautiful voice and acoustic picking. I will forever feel blessed to have had Nancy as a dear friend. 

Extraordinary woman, beautifully written obituary. 

Blessings to my forever friend Cynthia