Nancy Ann Siefer

Tempe - Nancy Ann (Feldman) Siefer of Tempe, Ariz. passed away peacefully on March 21, 2024 after a heroic, year-long battle with cancer. She was 80 years old. She was a mother, grandmother, wife, teacher, and inspiration to countless people blessed to be a part of her life.

Nancy was born on July 9, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan to parents Louis and Sylvia Feldman. She had three siblings, Ron, Barbara and Stewart. Nancy graduated from Mumford High School in Detroit in 1961 and attended Wayne State University where she received her bachelor's degree in education. While there, she was president of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. She began dating Stuart Siefer while at Wayne, where they enjoyed going to jazz clubs, concerts, coffee houses and art movies. They were married on April 23, 1967 in Detroit and honeymooned in Montreal, Canada.

In 1968, Stu and Nancy joined the Peace Corps, serving in Honduras for two years. Nancy traveled the country giving workshops on teaching methods to Honduran teachers while Stu worked as an architect in the local public works department. The experience of living in a developing country gave them both a lasting concern for the suffering of people living in poverty and hardship. Their first child Eric was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras three months before they returned to the U.S..

Having experienced the joys of living in a snowless climate, Stu and Nancy decided to move to Tempe, Arizona. Nancy taught English at Phoenix Country Day School until giving birth to twin boys Ted and Jeremy. She went on to earn her master's degree and then her doctorate in English and linguistics from Arizona State University. She had a distinguished career teaching in the community college system, and spent two decades at Glendale Community College, where she taught English composition, linguistics, southwest literature and yoga. During her career, she went on three enriching and adventurous sabbaticals in Washington state, China and Australia.

Travel remained a constant during Stu and Nancy's long marriage. They traveled throughout Europe, Mexico and Israel. After retirement, they vacationed in Maui, Greece, Turkey and Iceland. Their all-time favorite road trip was through the National Parks in Utah, Wyoming, and Montana continuing through Western Canada and ending in Vancouver. In Glacier Park, they had a very close encounter with two grizzly bears and lived to tell the tale.

Flagstaff became a second home after the family completed building a house in the woods there. Stu and Nancy enjoyed taking in the view of Mount Eldon, hiking in the woods with their dog, skiing, and spending time with their wonderful neighbors. In their retirement years, they traveled frequently to visit children and grandkids in New Hampshire and Los Angeles. Just before her cancer diagnosis, Nancy and members of her beloved "Maine Mavens" went on a two-week bike and barge tour in Italy, after which Nancy hiked in the Dolomite Mountains.

Nancy was an avid biker, hiker, runner and skier. She ran numerous races, including several triathlons. She also enjoyed crafts like weaving, stained glass, and decorative gourds. But her greatest passion was yoga. She was a certified instructor and taught yoga to groups and individuals. She taught her last yoga class just two months before her passing. Meditation was also an important part of her life, and she was a member of several sanghas. An avid reader, she belonged to four book clubs. She was a member of Temple Emanuel in Tempe.

In her final days, Nancy was lovingly attended to by her immediate family and dear friends. Nancy is survived by her husband Stuart; her three sons, Eric (Jennifer), Jeremy (Gabrielle) and Ted; four grandchildren, Cole, Carly, Saul and Henry (Hank); and her two brothers, Ron and Stewart. A memorial service was held for her at the Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center. A private burial followed at the Green Acres Cemetery.