A graduate of Mt. Sidney High School and Bridgewater College, she earned a degree in Home Economics in 1957. She married her sweetheart, Don, that same year. They moved to Edinburg, Va., where she taught elementary school briefly, before children.
In 1966, the young couple accepted an offer from the Church of the Brethren to serve as missionaries to Nigeria. They spent most of the next six years teaching at teachers’ training/secondary schools and as missionary school dorm parents. They possessed a great curiosity about the world and enjoyed trekking around the Holy Lands, West Africa and Europe. The family returned from Nigeria in 1972 and Nancy began teaching second grade in Augusta County where she became a beloved instructor whom former students remember with fondness.
In retirement, Nancy and her husband maintained a 50+ box bluebird trail in Augusta County. Other experiences included participating in a work camp in Nigeria, volunteering on a Navajo reservation and completing a goal to visit all 50 states. She loved to sing and was a member of the New Hope Chorus.
A true and faithful servant, Nancy will be missed at Lebanon Church of the Brethren where she held many roles in the church including teaching Sunday School and singing in the choir. She was also trained to help with children in crisis as part of Church of the Brethren Disaster Response Team.
Nancy is survived by her daughter, Debra Sheffer and her husband Curtis, of Mt. Sidney, Va.; son, Gary Link of Phoenix, Az., and adoring grandchildren Thomas Sheffer and his wife Amanda, Raymond Link and his wife Abby and Jonathon Link; great-grandchildren, Atlas, Pilot and Tippi Sheffer; a sister, Carole Blankenship and her husband Wayne; nieces, Teresa Harris and her husband Doug, Julie Blankenship and her wife Allison Wilder.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Peggy Aaslestad, and a grandson, Daniel Sheffer.
A Memorial Service will be held Sunday, March 1, 2 p.m. at Lebanon Church of the Brethren in Mt. Sidney, Va. The burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a Memorial Fund at Lebanon Church of the Brethren, 1168 Lebanon Church Rd., Mt. Sidney, Va. 24467.
