Nancy Carol Klees (nee Cox) passed peacefully in her sleep on May 10, 2022 after a long struggle with vascular dementia. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Gerard Timothy Klees. She is survived by their children Jennifer (Tom) Cote, Jean Ketterer and John (Heidi) Klees, grandchildren Miles (Michelle) and Tyler Cote, Joey Ketterer, Bethany (Cody) Arnold and Megan Ketterer, and Nolan and Olivia Klees, as well as six great-grandchildren, Jeremiah, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Abigail and Rebekah Cote, and Evelynn Arnold. She is also survived by beloved siblings James (Marcia) Cox and Janet (Allen) Gable. She was preceded in death by her mother, Anna Bethel (Metz) Cox and father, James Otis Cox, brothers Arthur and Thomas Cox, and sister Betty Jane Cox.
Nancy was born on September 10, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan and grew up in Redford, Michigan. She graduated from Redford High School and married Gerry Klees in 1957. They settled in Rochester Hills for 25 years before retiring in nearby Addison Township. More recently, Nancy moved to Grand Rapids, after Gerry’s passing and as her dementia worsened.
Nancy earned a college degree while raising her family, going on to teach elementary and middle school in Lake Orion for many years. She was also an avid runner who ran the Boston Marathon three times, and won her age division in the Grand Rapids Marathon twice. Nancy and Gerry traveled extensively in their later years, with many bicycle tours in France and Germany.
Nancy was lovingly devoted to her husband, kids, great/grandchildren. She fed them well, making mealtimes and holidays extra special. She also enjoyed serving in her church, often delivering meals and flowers to home-bound parishioners at the First Congregational Church of Rochester. (In later years, she attended church in Clarkston.)
She will be missed greatly. Her family is planning a (joint) celebration of two lives lived to the fullest – her’s and Gerry’s – at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 10, 2022 at Pixley’s Funeral Home in Rochester. Friends may meet the family at the Funeral Home beginning at 9:30 a.m. that day, with with lunch to follow at the nearby Community House in Rochester. Gerry and Nancy will rest in peace at Mount Avon Cemetery, in Rochester, Michigan.
The family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association MA/NH, 309 Waverly Oaks Rd., Waltham MA 02452.
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