Nancy grew up on a 100-acre farm near Otterville, Ontario, with her mother, father, and younger brother.  In grade nine at the age of twelve, a boy named Douglas asked to borrow her homework at the request of his mother, who was the teacher. He had recently lost his father, and Nancy gladly helped him, unaware that this small act of kindness would be remembered years later. By the age of fifteen, she had taken on a job in a local canning factory office, which turned out to be a role that helped her save toward her goal of attending Teachers’ College and Western University. The job marked the beginning of her self-reliance and determination to build a future beyond the boundaries of her small town.

In 1963, she completed her degree. One weekend, while teaching in London, Ontario, she returned to the farm for a visit, and there was a familiar face waiting for her. The boy she once helped stood beside a white Skylark convertible with a red interior, now a young man in a sharp grey suit and red tie, a recent graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering from Queens University. He hadn’t forgotten her. This time, he wasn’t borrowing homework. He asked her for a date. When asked what drew her to him, Nancy smiled and said it was his compassion and his deep love for his family. For her, love was never just a feeling; it was something steady, something built over time through respect, care, and shared values. They married in 1966 and raised three wonderful children, Jennifer, Dawn and Jonathan. They remained married for 54 years, until his death on December 26, 2020.

Nancy retired from teaching in 1968 to begin a new chapter in her life. At that time, she was navigating deep personal challenges. Her mother was suffering from mental health issues, which were poorly understood and inadequately addressed during that era. Her father’s health also began to decline after having two major strokes at the age of 62. She loved her father dearly, and at the age of 89, he was diagnosed with an inoperable abdominal aneurysm. While her father lay dying in the Ajax hospital, Nancy was informed by a relative that she had been left out of her father’s will. She felt betrayed and deeply hurt, as she and her father had been sharing a ministry, and money had been promised to continue it. Nancy was struggling to forgive. Realizing, in her own strength, it isn’t possible, she cried out to the Lord to give her a forgiving heart. God answered her prayer, and after two days of intense struggle, she was able to visit her father in the hospital. He was in a coma but understanding that hearing is the last sense to go, she reached out to him and took his hand, and he gripped it with that firm, farmer-like grip. She knew from that moment that he was still able to hear her, and because God had given her a forgiving heart through His grace, she told him that she had forgiven him for excluding her from his will. As Nancy’s father had always been an angry man, harbouring bitterness and unforgiveness toward many people over the years, it seemed that God took hold of her tongue and led her to urge him to release the anger and unforgiveness, inviting him to discover the freedom of forgiveness. This would be their last conversation. Within an hour of leaving the hospital, he was taken to heaven. Nancy believes her father heard her and that her words brought him a sense of peace in his final moments. Knowing the truth of Mark 11:25 and 26, her prayer is that he was truly able to forgive in that moment. That memory remains a powerful reminder of the healing that can come through forgiveness, even in the most challenging circumstances.

In 1989, after her father’s passing, Nancy attended Centennial College at her husband’s urging to take a course in Wellness and Lifestyle. After completing this course, she was invited to work at the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital in the Homes for Special Care, where she served psychiatric clients in the community. In 1992, she became a member of the Mobile Crisis team, a new initiative in Scarborough for mental health as part of the Whitby Redevelopment Fund. This project was designed as a two-year pilot program to help address mental health needs in the community. She was later hired as a mental health crisis worker in the emergency room of the two Scarborough hospitals and remained there until her retirement in 2007.
I asked Nancy what her greatest accomplishment in life had been so far. Her answer was raising her family with a God-centred approach and involving them in family devotions and ministry, especially on the beaches in Ontario, where she and her family directed Beach Missions under the leadership of Scripture Union Canada.

Nancy has always enjoyed travelling, since her first experience of a 5-week trip to Europe, the Middle East, and Israel at the age of 22 in 1963. She travelled extensively with her husband throughout Europe, South America, the United States, and Canada. After her husband passed away, she has travelled to Vancouver, Arizona, Chile, Australia, Korea, Japan, Laos and Africa.  During her trips, she had many memorable, touching experiences. Nancy used her teaching skills to interact with the children she met on mission trips. She would tell children stories of her own youth, and they would perk up to listen, eager to hear. On one mission trip to Laos, Nancy felt moved to hug a young girl in the village she was visiting. As soon as she did, the girl broke down in tears. She was one of only two born-again believers in the village.

Nancy then shared a story about the time when she was invited to travel on a five-week journey to Japan, Korea, and Australia. Accompanying her was her 89-year-old first cousin, Anne and her daughter, Mary, both of whom were unchurched. Nancy felt a Divine calling from God on that trip, to live her Christian life of service before them, to bring them under the ‘sound of the gospel’, and to pray that Almighty God would save them. They arrived in Australia on Tuesday, and on Saturday, by a Divine appointment, they attended a church in the area together. The church warmly welcomed them, and after the service, one of the elders took Anne and Mary aside to visit with them. Some time later, the elder came up to a group of us, saying, “ I would like you to meet Anne and Mary, they have just been born again.” What an amazing miracle! God had been true to His word, and Anne and Mary accompanied Nancy to church every Sunday for the duration of the trip, even attending a mid-morning prayer meeting. Fourteen months later, Anne passed away. Nancy holds onto that memory with deep peace, knowing that before her cousin’s time on earth came to an end, she had found faith.

Nancy’s story encompasses faith. She said the secret to a full and happy life is faithfulness, surrendering completely to God. This is what grounds her in life. She mentioned an analogy of a boat and an anchor. A boat with an anchor may still drift a little with the current, but it stays grounded and doesn’t get swept away by every passing tide or sudden storm. The anchor doesn’t stop the waves from coming, but it gives the boat something solid to hold onto beneath the surface. Without an anchor, the same boat floats aimlessly. It may look fine for a while, even peaceful, but eventually the winds pick up or the current shifts, and it’s carried far from where it started, tossed wherever the water decides to take it. Faith doesn’t remove the chaos, but like an anchor, it offers stability when everything else is in motion. She highlighted that she is moved to meet people who need encouragement. She wants to be remembered as an evangelist, meeting people one-on-one, devoting her time to spreading the Word of God.

She recalled the story of a man she met named Daniel during the annual jazz festival on Queen Street at the beach. She initially offered him a Bible, but he stopped her and said, “I don’t want your bible, I want your friendship.” It was a small moment, yet powerful. She realized then that connection doesn’t begin with preaching, it starts with listening. After she listened to his story, he said, “Now I will take your bible,” and he received it with joy. That conversation taught her the importance of what she now calls bridges of love, the idea that meaningful dialogue isn’t about speaking at people, but with them. For Nancy, this became a guiding principle. She came to understand that people don’t just need answers, they need to be seen and heard. It’s through the simple act of listening first that trust is built. Only then can hearts truly be open to hear the good news of the Gospel.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”