Nancy Anne Fowler

“Hi, I’m Nancy. What’s your name?” Those probably weren’t the exact introductory words spoken by Nancy Anne Fowler, whether it was 1953 in the first grade, or just last week at a grocery store, an antiques mall, or a restaurant, but there’s no doubt the person she addressed was about to establish a lifelong friendship that would be cherished. With a gleam in her eyes and a smile on her face, Nancy’s circle of friends expanded exponentially throughout her entire lifetime. Always gregarious, she knew no strangers. She had a vivacious personality, always making those around her laugh, and she made friends everywhere she went. Self-sacrificing even to the point of her own health and missing out on her own activities, one could call on Nancy day or night and she would be there for you and always have your back. She was proud of her children and grandchildren and always let them know it. Nancy departed for Heaven the morning of August 18, 2019, and is no doubt busy making new friends and renewing acquaintances with old ones. Those of us left behind will likely never find another such as Nancy, but the gift of having known her will sustain us all.

The Rutledge family jokes that Nancy probably knew more than half the population of Thurston County. Everywhere she went she bumped into someone she knew. She and her sister Beth once exited the car at Fred Meyer in Tumwater and 14 seconds later (yes, it was timed!) Nancy exclaimed “I know that guy!” Beth wisely kept on walking, saying “I will see you inside, hopefully today.”

The Rutledge family were members of the first wagon train of white settlers that arrived in Tumwater, Washington Territory in the early 1850s. Her great grandfather, Thomas Elliott Rutledge, walked from Tumwater to the Littlerock area and homesteaded his farm just prior to the Indian War of 1853-1854. Nancy was a fifth generation Rutledge, born February 8, 1947, and the oldest daughter of the six children born to Dale Rutledge and Mary Wagner Rutledge. Nancy is survived by siblings Tom, Tim, Phil, Nora, and Beth.

1947-1965: RUTLEDGE FARM YEARS

A natural born country girl, Nancy loved farm life, particularly the draft horses. She milked Jersey cows, hauled hay, drove cattle, and did everything else farm life required. She never shied away from getting her hands dirty which helped when she spent summers picking beans and berries to earn spending money. Summers often found her swimming in the Black River which flows thru the Rutledge farm. All year long, Nancy was actively involved with Littlerock Methodist Church activities.

Nancy was so happy when Nora was born, after enduring years of life with three younger brothers before another sister joined the family, she ran down the lane from the house to the Littlerock Road crying and promising God she would never get mad at her new little sister and would always take care of her. Okay, we all make promises to God…

A natural nurturer, Nancy was perfect in her role as the elder sibling. She gave her youngest sister (Beth wishes to remain nameless) her first bath ever in the kitchen sink. Nancy set an example for how to work hard. She showed tremendous strength when faced with personal heartaches and health challenges. She taught her siblings how to “put on a happy face” even when they just wanted to crawl back under the covers and escape the world. She showed them how to laugh at themselves and be willing to compromise. She was the family peacemaker. When her Mom passed away in 1983, Nancy naturally and gracefully stepped into the role of surrogate Mom for the family.

1953-1961: LITTLEROCK GRADE SCHOOL YEARS

Like her father and numerous other Rutledge family members, Nancy completed grades 1-8 at the Littlerock Grade School. During 1953-1961 she served as a crossing guard and class officer, and excelled at athletics, including winning the annual school softball throwing championship as an eighth grader. Continuing her big sister role, she also provided protection for a younger brother who was being bullied by Stanley Hall. Although sternly counseled for grabbing Stanley by an arm and a leg and spinning him a few times like a helicopter, Stanley never bullied her brother again.

1961-1965: ROCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL YEARS

Nancy started a lifelong friendship with Ron Fowler when they met their freshman year at Rochester High School in 1961. Both were 14 years old and at that point Nancy was 5’ 9” and Ron was 4’ 11”. Although they didn’t date each other during high school, for reasons known only to them, Nancy signed Ron’s senior annual “Dear Ron. Good luck in the future to a real sweet kid. Stay sweet. Your ‘secret honey,’ Nancy.” Forty five years later the feelings were no longer a secret.

While at RHS Nancy excelled at all of the available home economics and office skills-related classes. Her only bump in the road was two years of Spanish taught by beloved Freddie Neal. Learning Spanish went well, but Nancy was continually caught chewing gum during class. Mrs. Neal admonished her so frequently that as soon as she was caught Nancy automatically rolled the gum up and stuck it on the end of her nose for the remainder of the class period. Even so, she remained an avid gum chewer for the remainder of her life.

1965-2010: STATE OF WASHINGTON YEARS

Less than two weeks after high school graduation, Nancy started an entry level job as a typist with the State of Washington. A fast and accurate typist, she was one of the first state employees to have her IBM Selectric typewriter replaced by an IBM PC. Alas, she was so fast she would often get so far ahead of the word processing software that she had to sit and wait for it to catch up with her. After serving as a typing pool supervisor Nancy gravitated into an administrative assistant role, organizing and coordinating commissioner meetings for the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Nancy’s first car was a 1955 VW beetle. That car’s engine seized when Nancy was unaware cars require oil and a 1963 Comet became her daily driver. Unfortunately she ran over a skunk with the Comet and despite her best efforts could never completely remove the aroma, with hot summer days bringing out the lovely essence of skunk. Another of her vehicles was a ’72 Chevrolet C-10 pickup that her son Mark inherited and has restored.

Nancy loved playing games and spent many lunch periods at work playing hearts and pinochle with co-workers. She was also willing to be a bridge partner when needed, although she said “for the sake of the person I was partnered with I always tried to avoid it. I even spent time hiding in the restroom once to avoid it.”

For many years Nancy was actively involved with bowling in the greater Olympia area. Her name remains high on the list of highest scores ever thanks to bowling a 287 game at Westside Lanes.

Nancy had a wealth of knowledge and experience at both gardening and canning that she gladly shared with anyone willing to learn. She grew bountiful gardens and beautiful flowers and had a green thumb like no other! If one was in the kitchen, she wasn’t shy about putting you to work, evidence grandson Jacob’s hands-on experience at canning green beans.

Nancy’s first husband, Cliff Burkhart, was a mechanic for a highly successful top fuel dragster and they spent their honeymoon at a dragstrip. They often traveled to drag races up and down the West Coast, and even as far as Texas and into Canada. Cliff and Nancy purchased and for several years operated the Mobil Station (formerly owned by Earl Poage) at the corner of Trosper Road and Capitol Way in Tumwater. Nancy was widowed when Cliff passed away in 2003.

Nancy reconnected with Ron Fowler when both attended their 30th high school class reunion in 1995. Ron was single and unbeknownst to Nancy he discretely checked on her marital status. He wasn’t surprised to learn Nancy was still married and happy for her, but disappointed for his own sake.

In June, 2009 Ron received an EMail message from an RHS classmate thru classmates.com. After he responded the system brought up a screen listing brief information about other RHS classmates. One of those listed was Nancy. Ron clicked on the listing, noted Nancy was still working, enjoyed gardening, and liked cats. That wasn’t new information, so he simply closed the link. The next day, Ron received an EMail message from of all people, Nancy! It seems the classmates system automatically notifies someone if their profile is reviewed. Several EMail messages later Nancy mentioned she was widowed as a result of Cliff’s death in 2003. Although Ron was sorry to learn of Cliff’s passing, he openly admits to having pumped his fist and silently exclaiming “yes!” when he realized opportunity may have come knocking. During the months that followed, Ron and Nancy began seeing each other and in early 2010 he sold his home in Seattle, and purchased a home near Littlerock. As their relationship grew, and with Ron’s encouragement, Nancy retired after 45 years with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

On September 6, 2010 a gathering at the farm helped family patriarch Dale Rutledge celebrate his 90th birthday. Seizing an opportunity, Ron and Nancy surprised the group in attendance with the news they weren’t only attending a birthday party, they were about to witness a wedding. Sister Beth was quick to proclaim “she better not be pregnant!” (Little sisters can be SO entertaining!) Conveniently, sister Nora’s husband Don is a Baptist minister and he conducted the wedding ceremony in front of the parlor fireplace in the Rutledge’s 1861 farmhouse. Nancy moved from Tumwater to Ron’s house near Littlerock after their wedding. Dale Rutledge later said Nancy’s wedding was his best birthday gift ever.

2010-2019: RETIREMENT YEARS

Nancy was an avid evangelist espousing the benefits of coffee, truly believing the saying that “decaf coffee is just sad, brown water.” Her Keurig machine was in constant use and never complained. One of the pleasures of going anywhere with her was first stopping at the Hillybilly Beans espresso stand in Littlerock before hitting the road.

Ron is a life-long collector of antique soda bottles and encouraged Nancy to find something she could be passionate about collecting. Nancy chose cookie jars and visits to their home confirm she threw herself into the hobby, as there are dozens of cookie jars in the dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and even the bathroom. Both frequently searched GreedyBay and visited antiques malls looking for additions to their respective collections. None of Nancy’s cookie jars actually have cookies in them. She did, however, have one jar displayed on the table used for Mexican Train games in which she hid chocolate for consumption during the many hours she spent playing Mexican Train with sister Beth and granddaughter Rachel.

Nancy actively supported Ron’s addiction to running marathons, joining him to serve as a co-director of the 100 Marathon Club North America. She also supported his love for WSU (Go Cougs!). Together they attended concerts, RHS football and basketball games, antique bottle shows, car shows, family gatherings, and their usual Thursday “dinner dates” at the Farm Boy drive-in.

Nancy’s church activities included portraying “Ethel” in I Love Lucy skits and singing harmony with a bluegrass gospel group.

Nancy faced numerous medical challenges throughout her retirement years, including the diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) in 2009, plus major heart and respiratory issues. Always upbeat, Nancy was quick to join a CLL support group and serve as an advocate for others facing the same challenge.

Nancy is survived by: her husband, Ron; sons Lance Rodgers (Traci), and Mark Burkhart (Robin); daughter Sarah Sullivan (Pat); granddaughters Kelly Rodgers, Rachel Burkhart, and Lexi Burkhart; grandsons Chad Rodgers, Jonathon Rodgers, Joseph Rodgers, Jordan Rodgers, and Jacob Burkhart; and great-granddaughter Bailey Rodgers.

Nancy was a much loved daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, wife, and everybody’s friend. All who knew her are better for having done so and will miss her always. Thank you, Nancy.

Save us a cup of coffee for when we see you in Heaven.