Nancy Penington Muniz

Nancy Penington Muñiz, 80, of Springfield, VA, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Charlottesville, VA after short bouts with both Alzheimer’s disease and pancreatic cancer. She was born on June 13, 1941, in Providence, Rhode Island, to the late Dr. Robert Penington, Jr. and Louise Elise Schnaudt Penington.

Nancy was raised as a “Navy brat”, moving often as a child and making friends along the way. She continued to enjoy traveling throughout the rest of her life and was committed to maintaining and honoring friendships both old and new. She graduated from Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA (Class of 1959) and attended the University of Hawaii, where she met her late husband, Richard “Dick” Lynn Willis. Nancy and Dick had two children, Ricky and Robin before she was widowed at the age of 22. A few years later, Nancy met Ricardo “Richard” Rojelio Muñiz on a blind date and a year later, on a sunny spring day, he proposed to her under the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. Together they had a daughter who they named April to remember that moment. During their 55-year marriage, Nancy and Richard, who raised their family of five in the Metro DC area, looked forward to their annual pilgrimage to walk beneath the falling petals. This year, the cherry blossoms hit their peak several weeks earlier than usual, perhaps as a farewell gift to one of their biggest fans.

As a child, Nancy and her family were posted at the U.S. Naval Academy, where her father was a team doctor. She loved the Statue of Liberty and everything it represented. She enjoyed living in our nation’s capital and took anyone who came to visit on a guided tour of the city. She was also a big fan of the Olympics and loyally cheered on the U.S. team whenever it was on, including one last time, just a month ago, from her hospital bed. Being a proud American was important to her.

Nancy stayed home to raise her three children and when her kids were young, she was active as a Sunday school teacher, a Room Mom, a school Lunch Lady, and a Blue Bird leader. In the neighborhood, she was revered as an exceptionally cool mom who kept the cupboards stocked with snacks, the Tupperware filled with Kool-Aid, the leash to explore long and the doors open to all. After her eldest went away to college, she spent 20 years as a salesclerk at JC Penney in Springfield Mall and enjoyed volunteering at local theatres including the Warner Theatre, the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, and the George Mason University Center for the Arts. She also gave her time as a literacy volunteer and to those in need in her community. She was recognized as a lifelong O-negative blood donor by the American Red Cross and volunteered as a phone bank fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society. She encouraged her kids to think of those less fortunate than themselves, took them to marches in support of important causes, and let them stay up all night to watch the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon if they agreed to collect donations. Helping others was important to her.

Nancy’s big heart and vivacious smile filled the room. She was always the first to jump to the aid of a friend or neighbor and many young women considered Nancy a “bonus mom” for the love and support she provided as they navigated the trials of adolescence and adulthood. She always took the time to make every child feel special, remembering them with a gift of an advent calendar each season no matter how old they became, how far away they live, or even what religion they practiced. Making people feel special was important to her.

Nancy was an enthusiastic reader, an exuberant patron of the arts, and a skilled thrift store shopper. She most loved spending time with friends and family, buying them things they didn’t even know they needed, and strolling, hand-in-hand, with her husband through the nearby woods and wetlands. Nancy and Richard traveled the world together and often took friends along with them. Most people who remember Nancy do so with a big smile and chuckle as they share a story of her endearing quirkiness. She loved to introduce people to new things and always made life interesting for those around her. She was not one to follow the rules and encouraged others to question authority. She led by example and encouraged all of her “children” to live strong and independent lives while doing the things that were most important to them.

In addition to her parents, Nancy was preceded in death by her late husband Dick Willis; son, Richard Lynn Willis, Jr.; brothers-in-law, Jose Trinidad Muñiz, Jr., Roy Aguillon, Robert Willis, and James Ratzlaff, Sr.; sisters-in-law, Alma Muñiz Aguillon, Carmen Stewart Willis; niece, Karen Willis Smith; nephews Alan Willis, Richard Vineyard, Marcos Aguillon, and David Eric Nava.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Richard Muñiz; sister, Jane Penington Ratzlaff; daughters, Robin Willis DeMonti and April Marina Muñiz; son-in-law, Anthony DeMonti, Sr.; grandchildren, Anthony DeMonti, Jr., Angela DeMonti Hegner, Thomas Elliott Freeman, Jr., Joseph Richard DeMonti, Emily Freeman Mothershead, Catherine Jane

Abosbitan, Taylor DeMonti Neadow, Trevor Anthony DeMonti, and Madison Nicole DeMonti; great-grandchildren, Tomlin DeMonti, Kainoa Jenkins, Savanah DeMonti, Jameson Neadow, and Carson Abosbitan; and numerous nieces and nephews who loved their Aunt Nancy dearly.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center to which Nancy has graciously donated her brain for the advancement of research, or to ECHO (Ecumenical Community Helping Others) in Springfield where Nancy volunteered her time weekly for the last 20 years.

A Celebration of Life will be held to honor and remember Nancy on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at Wolf Trap Farm Park from 2-6pm. Please bring a side dish or dessert and a memory, picture, or story to share. Anyone interested in joining Nancy for one last performance that evening is encouraged to purchase tickets before they sell out (Quebe Sisters, The Barns at Wolf Trap, doors open at 6:30pm, show begins at 8:00pm). Nancy’s ashes will join her son’s at one of her favorite places, Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, VA. May you feel her presence as you enjoy the wonders of nature.