Nancy Anne Westbrook

She was born in Friendsville, Tennessee, the daughter of Shirley and Alberta (LeQuire) Jones. Nancy is a direct descendant of John Oliver from Cades Cove within The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Her extended family resided in Cades Cove where she visited them as a child. The Smoky Mountains were an important part of Nancy’s heritage and upbringing and they remained special to her throughout her life.

Nancy graduated from Friendsville High School in 1958. She then attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she met and married her husband, Jerry. After their wedding, Nancy and Jerry lived in Louisville, Kentucky. Missing family, Nancy was glad when a job opportunity for Jerry took them back to the Knoxville area. After the birth of their first daughter, Wendy, another job change had the couple move to Nashville where they quickly found a church home at Dalewood United Methodist Church. Many close and lifelong friendships were formed at Dalewood. Her faith being a very important part of her life, Nancy was active in the local United Methodist Women’s chapter. The couple’s other two daughters, Jill and Danielle (Dani) were born in Nashville during this time.

As a stay at home mom, Nancy was one of the adult leaders of her daughters’ Girl Scout troop, encouraging lots of fun and creative crafts for the young girls. She also found purpose in serving the seniors at McHendree Manor Senior Living facility as a volunteer. She would visit church members who resided there and sit with those in hospice, reading to them and keeping them company. Additionally, Nancy was active in the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) Auxiliary organization, including serving as the Nashville chapter’s chaplain for a period of time.

The Westbrooks hosted several foreign exchange students during the years their daughters were in high school. One of those students, Adriana Murillo, became a close friend and they affectionately referred to her as their Costa Rican daughter. They have kept in close contact with Adriana and her family in the decades since their first meeting.

When it came time to downsize, the empty nesters purchased a home in Hermitage, Tennessee and became members of Hermitage United Methodist Church. Nancy’s volunteer work at McHendree Manor Senior Living facility continued well after her “retirement age”.

While Nancy had many interests including a love of arts and crafts, her most notable skills included painting with watercolors, acrylic, and oil paints. She was a prolific painter of landscapes, still life, portraits, and more. There’s hardly a wall in her home that doesn’t showcase her artistic talents.

Nancy was probably best known for her love of hummingbirds. Her family nickname of “the hummingbird whisperer” was well earned. Her many feeders had more of the tiny winged visitors than any other house in the neighborhood. On more than one occasion, she had one of the little “hummers” light on her finger and drink from a handheld feeder. One year, she had a little female bird “winter over” at her feeder. It was very rare and she even had an official from a birding organization come and document the event.

Nancy is survived by her dear husband of 65 years, Jerry Westbrook; her daughters, Wendy (Tim) Kinkead of Brentwood, TN, Jill (Phil) May of Marquette, MI and Dani Lucking of Mt. Juliet, TN; her grandchildren Alec and Derek May and Walt and Natalie Lucking; her brother Joseph Jones; sisters Ada Kiser and Nellie Al-Saigh; and numerous nieces and nephews (many with whom she was in frequent contact).

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Howard Jones and Shirley “Buster” Jones and her sisters Margaret Mahood and Edna Rubio.

Visitation will be held at Hermitage United Methodist Church on Tuesday, August 11 from 9:00am - 11:00am with Celebration of Life services following at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hermitage United Methodist Church.