Nancy was born June 17, 1939, in Oklahoma City to William J. Newblock and Betty Sue Thomas.
She graduated from Northwest Classen High School in 1957, where she had met Leslie L. Conner Jr. The two attended the University of Oklahoma together and eventually married on Sept. 9, 1960, in Oklahoma City. Leslie was a prominent Oklahoma attorney, and they were happily married for nearly 50 years before he passed away in 2009.
Nancy was a member of the Chi Omega sorority and remained a leader in that organization for decades, serving as an officer and attending national conventions. She majored in fashion merchandising and worked locally for many years as a model.
After college, Nancy worked for the university and for Oklahoma City Public Schools. She spent several years in service with the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), an international nonprofit supporting women’s education.
Nancy was a faithful and loving Christian. She and Leslie had attended the United Methodist Church of Nichols Hills since 1963, where they both served in a variety of capacities, including lay leadership. Organized and informal bible study was a constant in Nancy’s life, and for decades in Oklahoma City she was a highly active member and leader within Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).
Nancy was an accomplished artist, producing and showing hundreds of paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolor. She possessed a lively eye for color, adding warm impressionistic touches to still lifes.
Nancy & Les loved traveling together, especially to the coast of Maine and their favorite trips to Santa Fe and Taos, N.M., where they supported burgeoning Southwest and Native American arts scenes.
Nancy was a reliable volunteer at Heritage Hall school in Oklahoma City, from which all her children graduated. She also supported numerous Oklahoma philanthropies, such as OKC Symphony Society, Pickwick Club, and the Oklahoma County Bar Auxiliary.
After Les’s passing, Nancy moved to Des Moines. She enjoyed a lively retirement with grandchildren, continuing to paint and cheering on Iowa State men’s and women’s basketball teams with her best friend, Mike Mansmith.
Nancy was a woman of great strength and perseverance. Those who knew her were always cheered by her presence — ever-encouraging, a cheerleader for her family, and balancing a razor-sharp wit with Southern-belle propriety.
Nancy is survived by three children: Debbie Hembree of Ft. Smith, Ark. (Lawson Hembree), Lauren Delpesce of Des Moines, Iowa (Vernon Delpesce), and Thomas Conner of Oklahoma City (Daniel Tideman); four grandchildren: Lawson Hembree V, Christopher Hembree, Ashley Doty and Keller Delpesce; four great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Pat Coggan of Dallas; and cousin Jim Sidwell of Grand Junction, Colo. She was pre-deceased by one child, Susan Elizabeth.
A memorial service to celebrate her life will be at 11 a.m. Monday, March 2, at United Methodist Church of Nichols Hills, 1212 Bedford Drive, Oklahoma City. Nancy asked that guests wear anything but black — a request befitting her colorful and vibrant personality. An additional service will be held in Des Moines at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Nichols Hills church or to the Wesley Life Foundation, c/o Edgewater Senior Living Community, Good Samaritan Fund, 9225 Cascade Ave., West Des Moines, Iowa 50266.
