Nancy Scott Collier

Nancy Scott Collier was born on October 19, 1978, in Mayfield, West Virginia to Kermit Ray Scott and Connie Parks Coffman. She grew up in eastern TN in the town of Oakdale. Nancy was involved in the community at an early age, volunteering to serve at the community center in town and working at two family restaurants, Mildred’s House of Fine Foods and Hungry Bunch. In high school, Nancy excelled in extracurricular activities, most notably high school basketball, however, less known in theater and graduating as class president in ‘97.

Nancy was a highly recruited, standout basketball player and she committed to play at Roane State her first two years of college. It was at Roane state where Nancy was blessed with her first child on August 4, 1997, Javel Gillespie, and became a mother. It’s remarkable that during this time in her young life, juggling so much, she was able to accomplish the following academic and athletic honors: Honors graduate, All-District MVP, All-Region, All-East TN MVP, All-State, USA Top 25 in TN. After her sophomore year Nancy transferred to Tennessee Wesleyan University and continued playing basketball. During her basketball career at Wesleyan, she scored 583 points, averaged 8.7 points per game, she had 369 rebounds and averaged 5.5 per game, and she started in 45 out of 59 games.

It was at Tennessee Wesleyan where Nancy met the love of her life, Kevin “Koopdeville” Collier. Kevin played for the men’s team at Tennessee Wesleyan and the two were inseparable ever since. She graduated in 2001 with a degree in Human Services. Nancy & Kevin then welcomed their sweet daughter Kamil “bug” Collier also on August 4th, 2004 and it was at this time they moved to Nashville, TN. Nancy and Koop left behind fiercely loyal teammates, family, and friends in East TN to move to middle TN and settle in the Nashville area. Nancy started working at the FedEx Ground Hub in Nashville, TN on September 1, 2004. Little did she know, she would cultivate nearly a 20 year, highly successful career with the company leaving and indelible mark on every single person she encountered.

Nancy started as a Package Handler but was quickly promoted to operations manager and then operations training manager at the NASH Hub. She then took a promotion to be sort manager at the Nashville Home Delivery station in Metro Center. Next, she worked as a P&D manager in the Nashville Local station then promoted to Assistant Hub Manager at Nashville hub to finally taking a position as Assistant Station Manager at the East Nashville station in Mt. Juliet. Nancy loved developing and coaching people, she also loved challenging people to grow and to do more than they could ever image doing. Nancy felt like she represented all females in our company, and she had to set a standard for them to live up to and by. She worked hard because she knew other women were watching her. She felt like she represented them, which she did very well. Nancy helped start many women’s leadership/mentorship programs in the Mid-South District; you can’t say women’s leadership without saying Nancy’s name. In addition, it was extremely important to her that she bring others up with her, constantly promoting others to the next level as she continued to climb. Nancy earned countless awards at FedEx during her 20-year career including, multiple Bravo Zulu awards, the MIDS District Pure Warrior Award, the MIDS district All-Star award, P&D manager of the year, Sort manager of the year, and most recently the highest honor at FedEx, the prestigious 5-Star Award.

On May 25th, 2013, Nancy married the love of her life, making her family complete. Nancy would go on to add “Nay Nay” to her resume as her son Javel and finance Shawnia welcomed their son, her grandson, Legend Marquese Gillespie on April 24th, 2022.

Nancy courageously and unfairly battled cancer twice in her life. The first battle was beating ovarian cancer in 2013. Nancy never missed any family events, was at all her children’s sporting events and was always present at work during her battle; she had an internal strength that very few people possess. In July of 2023 Nancy received the devastating news that she had uterine cancer and would need to prepare to go to battle again. In true Nancy fashion she never wavered in her positivity and spirit. She was a support to others even in her time of need. She fought until the very end and even then, refused to give up. Nancy’s motto was never give up. She was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, Nay Nay, aunt, and friend and coworker, loved by all.

She is survived by her husband, Kevin Collier; son, Javel Gillespie (Shawnia Anderson); daughter, Kamil Collier; grandson, Legend Gillespie and bonus granddaughter Paris Anderson, mother and stepfather, Connie and Garry Coffman; father, Kermit Ray Scott; and brother, Kermit Scott, sister-in-law Kim Collier, and nephew Jeremiah Wilson.

Services to celebrate Nancy will be at Two O’clock the afternoon of Friday, March 8, 2024 at Roselawn Funeral Home with burial to follow in Roselawn Memorial Gardens. Friends are cordially invited to visitation also on Friday, March 8, 2024 from Eleven in the morning till the service begins at Two O’clock.

Acknowledgement

God is too wise to be mistaken, God is too good to be unkind… so when we don’t understand, when we can’t see His plan, when we cant trace His hand, we trust His heart. We, the family of Nancy Scott Collier, have trusted God through the illness and passing of our loved one. Realizing that God never hurts us needlessly, and never wastes our pain, we thank Him for friends like you people of faith who have called, visited and supported us during this time of transition. Every deed of kindness has been a source of strength and comfort. We are eternally grateful. May God’s richest blessings be yours.

-The Family of Nancy Scott Collier

“When I Must Leave You”

When I must leave you, For a little while, Please do not grieve, and shed wild tears

And hug your sorrow to you, Through the years, But start out bravely, With a gallant smile;

And for my sake, And for my name, Live on and do, All things the same,

Feed not your loneliness, On empty days, But fill each walking hour, In useful ways,

Reach out your head, In comfort and in cheer, And I in turn will comfort you, And hold you near;

And never, never Be afraid to die, For I am waiting for you in the sky!

-Helen Steiner Rice