Nancy L. Denlinger

Nancy Louise Denlinger started her long life as Nancy Louise Blatt on May 23rd, 1925 in Joliet, Illinois, born to Helen Louise and Theodore McKinley Blatt. Because of the times and her father’s many jobs, her family moved around often, and Nancy attended 10 schools in 12 years. She always attributed her ability to make friends easily to moving so often as a child. Her family finally settled in Green Hills, a suburb of Cincinnati, where she graduated from Green Hills High School. During these years, her family was very close to her Aunt Beck’s family, the identical twin of her mother. Aunt Beck had a daughter, Jean, who was the same age as Nancy. They grew up as close as sisters, so much so that people often mistook Nancy and Jean for twins themselves. Jean had a younger sister, Sue, who was like a little sister to Nancy. Their families stayed very close throughout their lives, creating a close-knit extended family.

After graduating high school, she went on to attend college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she pursued a teaching degree and was active in her sorority, Chi Omega. She valued her sorority sisters dearly and kept in contact with many of them over the years. She was one of the longest standing members at 75 years!

A week after graduating with her teaching degree, she married Walter Roland (Pete) Denlinger (1973) on June 13th, 1948. The newlyweds first settled in Trotwood, a small town close to Dayton. Nancy taught nearby and Pete, originally from Trotwood, worked for Ohio Bell.

Nancy and Pete had three children, Peter (2012), Susan, and Sally. Nancy briefly left teaching to raise her young children. During these years, she was active in the League of Woman Voters, various churches they attended, bridge and garden clubs, along with other social clubs. Because of Pete’s job, the family moved often. They lived in Toledo, Trotwood, Kettering, Springfield, and finally settled in 1969 in Worthington, Ohio.

After the children were a bit older, Nancy began teaching again. Teaching was her passion and pleasure and she taught for more than 25 years and she was a proud life-long member of NEA and CEA. She taught the first grade at Sharon Elementary School and Southwood Elementary School, both in Columbus She retired from Southwood in 1993, but continued her passion for helping children learn by volunteering at her granddaughters’ school here in Worthington. Ms. Nancy was a reading volunteer, helping countless children gain confidence in themselves through her diligent tutoring.

Nancy had five granddaughters, all of whom she loved dearly. Susan gifted her with her first two; Adriel was her first grandchild and was her only grandchild for many years. Bridget came next, and though they lived in different states, Nancy remained close with her oldest granddaughters through the girls coming to Ohio for long visits, Nancy traveling to North Carolina and South Carolina to see them, and phone calls in between. Sally gifted her with her last three, Jessica, Katelyn, and Emily, whom Nancy babysat often in the first decade of their lives. Many of Jessica, Katelyn, and Emily’s friends were some of the children Nancy worked with through her volunteering at Worthington Estates Elementary, and those friends often reminisce of Ms. Nancy’s help and what it did for them in their youth.

Through Nancy’s cousin Jean, she had the gift of four first-cousins-once-removed; Steven, Barbara, Kenneth, and Nancy. Through her younger cousin Sue, Nancy was gifted another first-cousin-once-removed, Kelly. All became quite close to Nancy, visiting often, forming a tight-knit bond. She was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, Kylea and Kiran, by her granddaughter Adriel.

Nancy had many close friends throughout her life, all of whom gave her great joy in their companionship. Nancy was a social butterfly through and through, having monthly lunches with friends and with the ladies she had taught with, lifting weights at the Griswold Senior Center, and visiting with all her neighbors, especially her next-door-neighbor, Jan. Those who were close with her loved her dearly, and every stranger she met called her a spit-fire, wishing they could know her better. She was a fan of musicals, and could be heard humming, whistling, and singing show tunes in her kitchen at any hour of the day. She loved to have her hair permed and styled and enjoyed the occasional cold Michelob Ultra (in a chilled glass, of course).

Her home was a place that many family gatherings were held and friends often visited. Nancy desired to live out her life in the home where some of her most cherished memories were made, close to friends and family, which she did until the end with the help of her youngest daughter Sally.

If you knew Nancy, you know she was a force of nature. Another of Nancy’s great passions in life was nature itself and she was a long-time member of the National Audubon Society (NAS), as birds brought her great joy. In memory of Nancy, please kindly consider a donation to NAS in lieu of flowers. Her presence was larger than life, and many, many people will miss her dearly, but her legacy will live on through her family, friends, and all the children’s lives she touched through teaching.