Nancy Lee Vasquez

Nancy Lee Vasquez, affectionately known as “Nanny” was born on February 5, 1944 at Charlottesville Memorial Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was the daughter of Charles and Mary Coffey and raised in Waynesboro, Virginia along with her three siblings, Maryann, Judy, and Charlie. Nancy had a strong relationship with her siblings and openly expressed her love for them.

Nanny was a warm hearted and very loved individual, and these wonderful traits came easily to her because she was such a sociable and amiable person, someone who was always making certain that those around her had whatever they needed. Nancy was a talkative person who was tactful at all times but typically said what she meant.

Nanny loved her children and grandchildren. Every time they came to visit her she would talk about it for days. Although her life was physically limited, she made sure that did not get in the way of her relationship with her loved ones. She was an expert at email, FaceTime, Instagram, and Facebook. She was a loving mother, devoted wife, doting grandmother, loyal friend and true educator.

There was one thing that all of Nanny’s friends knew and will still remember, and that is that she was a talker. She could pretty much talk to anybody about anything. This quality is one of the primary reasons that Nanny was such a popular person throughout her life. But Nanny was also dependable, loyal and trustworthy. Nanny was the kind of person who simply radiated good fellowship. While she maintained personal standards and her own personal values, Nanny was very accepting of others. With a distinct skill for working things out, Nanny was often the person who would organize events. In fact, Nanny was fairly comfortable playing the role of "host" for just about any occasion. When Nanny made friends, she made true and lasting friendships. While growing up, some of her best friends were Lorraine Coffey, Judy Veddar and Sue Najanan. Later in life, she became friends with Sue Afable.

Nanny was a faithful and loving person. Some would even call her sentimental and a romantic at heart. Her kindness and consideration radiated an aura of warmth to those around her. Nanny cared for what others thought and carried that into her marriage. On April 17, 1972 Nanny married Francisco G. Compassionate and devoted, Nanny worked hard to make her new life partner happy.

Nanny was very elegant. She always looked the picture of perfection and grace. She also took pride in decorating her home with memorabilia from the 1950's, Buddha and oriental décor. She was also a devoted Elvis Presley fan.

Taking her work seriously came naturally to Nanny, and she expected the same from those around her. She was resilient, independent, honest and strong willed. She was what some would call a "people person" and it was demonstrated in her good communication skills. Nanny was a steady worker, one who was realistic about schedules. The kind of details that would give family members and work colleagues fits were situations that Nanny handled well. She could understand the details without getting lost in the broad "big picture." Her primary occupation was a state licensed administrator. She was employed for 30 years at Volunteers of America. She brought harmony to her work environment, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done, while always maintaining respect for her colleagues.

Nanny was the kind of person who would readily move into action in order to help others. She was appreciated and respected. She could find value in the opinions of others and was passionate about her own values and beliefs. So it's little wonder that she was active and highly valued by those in her community, serving on committees for the mental health advisory board for City of San Diego. Politically, Nanny was liberal.

A generous and compassionate woman, Nanny accomplished much during her lifetime. Though she never set out to gain individual recognition, Nanny was recognized and given awards for her many and varied efforts throughout her life. Some of her most prestigious awards included San Diego Mental Health Director of the year, 2001.

Not only did Nanny enjoy traveling, but she also seemed to enjoy planning all of those trips and vacations. She was a facilitator who could easily make up a near perfect schedule of all of the things to do and see. She rarely tired of going back and revisiting her favorite places. Favorite vacations included Las Vegas, Nevada and visiting Graceland, Elvis Pressley's mansion in Tennessee.

Nanny was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of her favorites was Asia, a toy poodle, who was a best friend for 7 years. Her family was rounded out by her pets named Harpo, Ella, Rosey, Buddy and Charlie, all her granddogs.

Since it was easy for Nanny to meet and get to know new people, she quickly made friends, even in retirement. Once she met those new friends, she loved sharing stories and talking about the good old days. Since she was practical and cost effective, Nanny was ready when that day to retire finally came in 2014. Even in retirement, Nanny stayed in touch with her old friends and made plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in the community and felt fulfilled with the opportunities that retirement offered her.

Nanny passed away on September 4, 2015 at her home in National City, California due to an aortic aneurysm rupture. She is survived by her husband Francisco, her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and granddogs.

Although Nanny lived a long and fruitful life, to those left behind, it wasn’t clearly enough.