Nancy Driscoll

1950 - 2016

Nancy Driscoll

Mt. Shasta, CA

Nancy Driscoll reached her final summit in life on February 2, 2016 with her devoted husband Tom by her side and her loving family holding prayerful vigil. Her spirit was set free that day with the winds of deep love carrying her.

Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1950 to parents, John Edward "Jack" and Jane Porter Nicholson, Nancy was the youngest of three - including brother Jeffrey and sister Sally. She spent her childhood in Bethel Park, PA, graduating from Bethel Park High School. Summers at the ocean sparked Nancy's love for swimming. She was a natural athlete from an early age! She loved the swim team. Nancy was 16 when her mother died, and she and Sally were nurtured by a friend Susan who eventually became their sister-in-law and a treasured lifelong friend.

Nancy travelled alone cross country to move to the west coast. She met Tom Driscoll in 1980. They married in 1985. What an adventurous life they created together for 30 years. They moved to Mt. Shasta in 2001 and fell in love with the land, the beauty surrounding them, and the people here. It was in Mt. Shasta that Nancy found her true home in spirit and nature. Nancy took great pleasure in being a steward of their land, creating orchards, flower gardens and ponds. She loved growing vegetables and raising chickens - her "girls"! Their dogs were never far from her side on daily walks.

Nancy's passion for life showed in everything she put her mind and heart to, from her fierce devotion to her family, friends and community, to her marathon running, bicycling across the country, and mountain climbing. She did several treks in Nepal and Tibet with Roshi Joan Halifax and her medical team hiking from village to village offering care and treatment to the people there.

Nancy was dedicated to community service and efforts to improve life for others. Twenty years ago she committed her energies to support a small, struggling organization named Kidpower whose goals were to teach skills to protect children, teens and adults of all abilities from bullying, abuse, and violence. She offered the board guidance, leadership, mentorship and support, eventually serving as Board President for 7 years. Their director wrote recently, "Thanks in large part to Nancy's commitment, wisdom, expertise and generosity, Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International today is a thriving global nonprofit leader dedicated to providing effective and empowering child protection, positive communication, and personal safety skills to people of all ages. We have served over 4 million children, teens and adults reaching every continent in the world, except Antartica. Some part of the greater safety and confidence of EVERYONE we ever serve will be thanks to Nancy's leadership and support."

When Nancy was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer she was given two years at best. She lived 8 years. Her unrelenting commitment to finding new ways to treat her cancer, then later to control it, and eventually to surrender to it, was awe inspiring. She accomplished it all with her fierce will, her indomitable spirit and her grace. Nancy supported the Breast Cancer Climb and was an inspiration for many women on those climbs.

If you were lucky enough to be loved by this remarkable woman, she taught you to challenge your own limits and to apply that to every aspect of your life. With Nancy you always knew where you stood and what she was thinking. Her colorfully clear way with words left no question about her feelings! Her smile and laughter could lift anyone's spirit.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Jeff. She is survived by her husband Tom. The love and affection they shared was abundantly clear to everyone who witnessed them together in the last months of her life. Tom was so dedicated to her care. He says Nancy taught him about the deep tenderness of love. She is also survived by her sister and close friend, Sally, with whom she shared a very special sisterhood, and her most beloved nephew, Joshua, a physician, who was instrumental in Nancy's care in the last period of her life, spending weeks in Mt. Shasta supporting Nancy and Tom. Joshua, his wife Elizabeth, and their daughter Abigail Nancy were a source of great joy to Nancy. She is also survived by her sister in law, Susan Nicholson, step daughter, Darby, and grandson Tyler, in whom she took great pride. She loved being Grammy Nan! Nancy' s dear friend Rosanne Reider shared countless travels and much laughter with her over the years. Nancy was a good friend to so many people around the world. Hers is a legacy of love, friendship, healthy living, dedication to the earth and service to its peoples.

The family wants to thank all those who were part of Nancy's care team at home who brought such compassion and tenderness to her last weeks of life. Nancy's "angels", her local friends, provided loving support to her and the family, doing prayer circles with Nancy the last three years, always boosting her spirits.

A celebration of Nancy's life will be held at the Upper Lodge at the Mt. Shasta City Park on Saturday, April 30th at 3PM. The formal program will begin at 4:00. Nancy was very clear that she wants us to celebrate life, not mourn her passing. Her request was: "A party with music, dining and dancing and where all the ladies wear hats." So put on your hats and party clothes then come join in as we share fond memories and toast dear Nancy! In order to plan accordingly for the celebration please RSVP if you will attend by emailing: BFAKKEMA@eventsetc.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to KidPower, PO Box 1212, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 or The Breast Cancer Fund, 1388 Sutter St. Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94109. And in Nancy's honor, you might take time to get outside, look around you, take in the beauty you see, feel the love of your family and friends and fill your heart with gratitude. That would make Nancy smile.

Please sign the guestbook at http://obits.redding.com