Nancy Dion Corbin

Nancy, born April 24, 1931 in Columbia, South Carolina to Neva and Harry Eargle, is survived by her husband, Joseph Browning Corbin, her daughter Cynthia Dion Balentine and spouse James Scott Balentine, daughter Vivian Dion-Miller, four grandsons, three granddaughters-in-law and seven great grandchildren. She is predeceased by her husband of 49 years William Stanley Dion, her son, Glenn Stanley Dion and her son-in-law, Michael Alan Miller.

Nancy was graduated from Columbia High School and went to work immediately with an insurance agency. In 1952, she married Bill Dion, a sailor in the US Navy stationed in Charleston, S.C. Within six years, Bill had joined Harry Eargle’s construction business and Nancy and Bill had three children, moving often to follow where the construction jobs led. When Harry retired, Nancy and Bill moved their young family to Manning, S.C. and began life settled into a small town community.

Nancy took full advantage of everything that lifestyle afforded. She was active in the First Baptist Church WMU and Vacation Bible School, taking great pride in how she helped her children memorize scripture. She made sure the family attended every Sunday morning and evening worship service, as well as the Wednesday evening activities and any revivals scheduled at the church.

Nancy joined the Virginia’s Pride Garden Club, taking on many leadership roles, as well as attaining an award-winning level of skill in formal floral arrangements. Another local organization she proudly supported was the Manning Eastern Star chapter, serving as Worthy Matron within a few short years and actively supporting the Masonic Lodge with the other wives of lodge members. When her children began to take part in school extracurricular activities, Nancy brought to bear the full force of her extensive organizational skills arranging trips, coordinating housing for visiting students during band festival weekends, getting the school newspaper and yearbook to the printers and hundreds of hours supporting the cheerleader squads. Early on she became known for her annual Christmas ornament production and the joy she brought to holiday decorations. These were often expressions of her skill at any kind of needle work, in addition to many other crafting techniques.

In 1968, she began working as the dental assistant and office manager for Henry “Mutt” Bozard, DDS, a job she would continue until she retired in 1996. Determined to being an effective assistant, at her hiring she brought home a stack of his technical dental books and studied them, until, on her own, she had learned the equivalent of a formal dental assistant school training. Her dedication and service over the years earned her a citation from the South Carolina State Legislature and an official statewide Nancy Eargle Dion Day celebrated when the citation was presented at her retirement.

Through all of these years, she maintained close ties with her extended family, rarely missing family reunions and always making time and providing a place to sleep for anyone driving through. She researched family history and organized her findings into a number of over-sized scrapbooks, once again taking on the job of learning a new skill to do a job well. She had a particular attachment to those she called her “Cuzzins,” the women cousins on her father’s side of the family. What began in her childhood as regular summer visits at her Grandmother Eargle’s family farm developed into annual trips to the beach as she became an adult. She anticipated those weeks with genuine glee every year.

Largo and then Seminole, Florida became her home in 1997 when she and Bill moved there to continue medical treatment for what would be his terminal illness. As was her life long habit, she found a church quickly, this time Seminole First Baptist Church, where she remained a member until her death. Soon after Bill’s passing in 2000, Nancy moved in with her son, Glenn, and began making a home with him, gardening, quilting and getting to know the neighbors. Vacation Bible School in 2006 at Seminole First Baptist brought her into contact with Joe Corbin and a new life chapter. They married in November of 2007, which gifted her a new family to care for, a treasure in her mind. Her last of many lifelong achievements, and one that made her very proud, was to write the biography of Joe’s life as he dictated it and to see it through to publication.

Even though the passage of the years diminished her physical capacity, she remained fully committed to the church, attending whenever she could, spending much time in prayer and Bible study. Nancy often admonished her caregivers at Freedom Square to pray, study the Bible and regularly attend church.

Nancy Corbin’s memorial service will be 2 PM Thursday, November 17, 2022 in the sanctuary of Seminole First Baptist Church, 11045 Park Blvd., Seminole, Florida, Pastor Mike Mott officiating, reception to follow. Internment will be in the spring of 2023 at a date and time to be announced. Donations may be made to Seminole First Baptist Church or to a breast cancer research institution of the donor’s choice.

A memorial service for Nancy will be held Thursday, November 17, 2022 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Seminole First Baptist Church, 11045 Park Blvd, Seminole, FL 33772.