Nancy Hanna, who many of us knew and loved and who graced our lives in so many ways, passed away due to complications associated with Parkinson’s and dementia on May 22, 2024, in Olympia, Washington. She had just made it to her 83rd birthday.
Through the years, Nancy never complained about her illnesses. She simply looked them in the eye and kept on living her life, doing her best every day. We were all in awe of her patience, her strength, and her capacity to endure. What an inspiration she was and what a fine life she had.
There was much to love about Nancy. She had a wonderful spirit and was full of life. She was one of those rare people who was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. Nancy touched many lives in her kind and warm way. If you met Nancy, you would always remember her. She was compassionate and generous and what grace she had at every moment and turn of her life all the way to the end. A friend once said she would “love to be able to put Nancy in my pocket and take her home with me.”
Nancy met the love of her life, Eric Slagle, at a contra dance. They were the greatest of friends and lovers for nearly 40 years.
Nancy loved her family, friends, music, vegetable and flower garden, and the historic house she lived in for 50 years. She enjoyed nature and loved to bird watch, hike, and canoe. She would listen to a bird singing and write the music notes for the song in a little notebook.
There are many fond memories of Nancy playing Crazy 8 with her family. There was lots of laughing during those games. Nancy won most of the time, leaving the rest of us wondering how she did it.
A large part of Nancy’s life was devoted to music. She started classical violin at the age of eight and played in symphonies on both the East and West Coasts. She later started playing Irish, old time and swing music and was a member of the popular local Olympia band, Back Porch Swing. Playing with the band gave her tremendous joy. She also developed a passion for music from Quebec and helped start a local Quebecois jam session.
Nancy had a varied and rewarding work life. She taught music, owned a bookstore, and worked in a foreign consulate, child welfare, alternative energy, and senior programs.
Nancy was truly one in a million. No one will ever forget her shining spirit and smile.
Nancy is survived by her husband, Eric; daughter, Kristin; granddaughter, Savannah; grandson, Noah; sister, Jan; and brother, John.
Thank you to her doctors at Kaiser Permanente, home health care workers from Synergy Home Care, and medical staff at Providence Hospice.
“Hold to the memories of your loved ones. Memories sing to us. They are birds whose songs never fade.”
A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held in the near future.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Nancy’s name to the Capital Land Trust and/or the Nisqually Land Trust.
