Nancy Lee Gerdes

Gerdes, Nancy, age 84, of Xenia, Ohio, passed away on Monday, September 1st, 2025. Nancy was born on April 15th, 1941, in Celina, Ohio, to Wayne and Kathryn Thompson. At the age of 7, her father got a job in the accounting department at NCR, so the family moved to Dayton, Ohio. She loved spending her summers at Old River and would buy her coveted movie magazines whenever she had any extra change.

SHE MET THE LOVE OF HER LIFE AT THE AGE OF 15 at a soda fountain in downtown Dayton, and they spent 69 wonderful years together. She was a free spirit at heart, loving everything about nature and the ocean. She had a deep affection for her devoted golden retriever, Treiver, who was always by her side.

She attended Patterson Coop and majored in nursing. Though she started nursing school, family obligations prevented her from finishing. While at Patterson Coop, she was crowned Prom Queen and Athletic Queen. She also won a modeling contest at Rikes downtown and worked as a tearoom model.

After high school, Nancy worked as a telephone operator for Ohio Bell and was featured on the front page of the Dayton Daily News. An adventurer at heart, she loved snowmobiling in the Upper Peninsula, horseback riding, riding the Racer at Kings Island, hot air ballooning, boating at Lake Cumberland, and the highlight of her life: a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. Nancy also cherished being barefoot and tending to her garden, all while enjoying her rock and roll music, dancing, and sipping White Russians.

She is survived by her loving husband, Tom; children Traci (Rob) Zipperian, Tara (Mike) Arnold, and Brent (Sheila) Gerdes; grandchildren Tori (Jimmy) Zipperian, Shayna (Cody) Arnold, Dylan Arnold, Tasha (Joe) Stainbrook, Sydney Arnold, Sasha Arnold, McKenzie Gerdes, Garrett (Emily) Gerdes, and Blake Gerdes; great-grandsons Maddox Arnold, Sawyer, and Sylas Stainbrook; and her beloved sisters Annie Newport, Joyce (Eddie) Thiemann, and Jane Nelson. Nancy is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Graveside services will be held at Calvary Cemetery on Saturday, September 6th, at noon.