Nancy Lillian Haynes

Nancy Lillian Haynes of North Richland Hills, TX, passed away at the age of 66 on November 6, 2025, from dementia. Nancy was born on January 1, 1959, to Don and Joan Zarek in Chicago, IL, the third of six siblings. Nancy graduated from Kelvyn Park High School in 1977. Her first job was with Sears, where she worked at the Sears Tower in Chicago. She moved to Florida in 1979 and worked at Sensormatic Corporation in Deerfield Beach, where she first met Mark. After several years of dating, Nancy and Mark married in 1990. Following an opportunity with Mark’s employer, Motorola, the couple then moved to North Richland Hills, TX, in 1993, while Nancy was pregnant with their first child, Ryan. Ryan was born the same year, and their daughter, Cheryl, was born in 1995. Nancy devoted herself to raising her children at home before taking on a role as an administrative assistant for the elementary, middle, and high schools where they attended.

Always active and outgoing, Nancy enjoyed going for walks or jogs, biking, gardening, participating in activities that supported her kids, game nights with family or friends, scuba diving, spending summers in the pool, and attending social and community gatherings. She proudly perfected several dessert recipes over the years and had a knack for artsy activities, such as scrapbooking, embroidery, sewing, and holiday decorating. Nancy loved family adventures, from camping and skiing to days at the beach, exploring parks and natural sites, and trips to Disney World.

She generously volunteered for church causes and always had a heart for helping others in need. Nancy was caring, empathetic, compassionate, and devoted to her faith. She was wise, naturally good-humored, adventurous, and fun-loving. Nancy was often described by others as kind-hearted, sweet, welcoming, and patient. Above all, she was a wonderful and loving wife and a deeply dedicated mother.

After their early retirement in 2017, Nancy and Mark were blessed with the ability to travel and spend invaluable time together. Nancy was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia in 2019, although the onset of the disease began in 2015 when she was 56. To the devastation of her family, Nancy declined cognitively until she required full-time professional care, which was lovingly overseen by Mark beginning on January 2, 2023. Her final home, Grand Brook Memory Care of Grapevine, provided her with a quiet, peaceful environment, where she received compassionate care from her caregivers at Grand Brook Memory Care and Anchor of Hope Hospice, and her loyal husband until the end of her life. Her dedicated caregivers described her as sweet and loved seeing her smile every day. Although it was a difficult journey with her dementia, Nancy remained strong, and her family remained devoted to her. Her gentle spirit never wavered, and Nancy continued to share the same beautiful smile that had always reflected her warmth and love.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Mark; her children, Ryan and Cheryl; and her siblings, Glenn, Mary, Mark, Barbara, and Chrissy. Nancy and Mark shared 34 wonderful years of marriage.

Services will be held at Shannon Rufe Snow Funeral Chapel on November 14, 2025, at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Nancy’s life by donating to the National Aphasia Organization, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, and the Alzheimer’s Association.