Nancy Gayl Ewing

Nancy Gayl Ewing, a woman of fierce determination, quick wit, a profound respect for the rule of law, and a grateful heart for all of the blessings God bestowed on her, passed away gently and peacefully, surrounded by the love of family and friends on Saturday, February 28, 2026.

She is survived by Mary Lou Ruttle.

She cherished every member of her large, loving, boisterous family:

Tommy Vandergrift (deceased) [surviving spouse Joni]

Nancy Vandergrift Hart (Dave)

Linda Vandergrift Cyphers (Mark)

Sandy Ewing Tschannen (Mike)

David Ewing (deceased)

Sharon Ewing O’Keefe (David)

Susan Ewing Kraus Jr. (Carl)

Kelli Vandergrift Lauer (Ian)

Kristi Vandergrift Seethaler (Rob)

Alexander Hart

Taylor Hart

Connor Hart

Madison Hart

Hayley Cyphers

Jack Cyphers

Katie Cyphers

Traci Tschannen Fritz (deceased) [surviving spouse Randy]

Natalie Tschannen Pusateri (Nick)

Michael Tschannen (Holly)

David Domenic Ewing (Tiffany)

Ashley Ewing

Leyton Ewing

David O’Keefe (Lea)

Neil O’Keefe (Kelly)

Carl Kraus III

Jenna Kraus Steck (Mike)

Alyssa Kraus

Brittany Kraus

Aria Lauer

Lyla Seethaler

Luke Pusateri

Leo Pusateri

Lena Pusateri

Harper Tschannen

Maddox Tschannen

Peyton Ewing

Noah Ewing

Evan O’Keefe

Julia O’Keefe

Logan O’Keefe

Colin O’Keefe

Dylan O’Keefe

Palmer Steck

Rory Steck

Elizabeth Ruttle Keister (Bill)

Phyllis Ruttle Jaworski

Dorothy Ruttle Neill (Rich)

Jeff Jaworski

Scott Jaworski (Laura)

Zoe Jaworski

Eme Jaworski

and her dear friends Becky Grazier and William Pierson.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents Gaylord Ewing and Julia McGlumphy Ewing, by her sister Phyllis Ewing Vandergrift and her husband Tom Vandergrift, and by her brother Bobby Ewing and his wife Dolores (“Dee”) DiLallo Ewing.

Although Nancy spent the first years of her life in the East End of Pittsburgh, she felt her life truly began when the family moved to the North Side in 1947. That was the beginning of her life-long love of the people, the culture, the landmarks, and the institutions in that part of the city. She was proud to have graduated from Mary J. Cowley Elementary School, Latimer Junior High School, and Allegheny High School and attributed much of her success in life to the education she received there. Weekly visits to the Allegheny Branch of the Carnegie Library instilled a love of reading over a wide variety of genres that lasted her entire life.

Her childhood and teen years were filled with the simple pleasures to be found in West Park—cruising through the park on her roller skates to buy an icy ball at Gus and Yia Yia’s or hop on the Iron Deer, crawling through the Spanish-American War Memorial, or just sitting with friends and family on the benches lining the paths of the park. She could also be found hanging out with her friend Conn LaFranca  at the family’s grocery store  on Federal Street. On the week-ends and in the summer, Nancy spent time with her relatives in Wind Ridge, Greene County. There she learned to hunt and fish, spent her days running through the lush green fields, and saved her pennies for the Jacktown Fair.

After graduating from high school in 1959, Nancy took her first job at Motive Parts. As someone already intrigued with cars and the unique features each make and model featured at the time, her work at Motive Parts allowed her to identify every car on the road by some particular feature—perhaps a head or tail light, the shape of a window, or a hood ornament. She could identify any car by year, make, and model number until, as she said, “All the cars started to look alike.”

Ultimately, Nancy decided that she wanted to become a teacher. After completing her degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis on Social Studies, she returned to teach first at Latimer Junior High School and then at Allegheny High School; she ended her teaching career at Oliver High School. Her deep belief in her students’ abilities, her interest in the subjects she taught, and her natural ability as a storyteller made her an outstanding teacher. She had a way of making whatever she taught relevant to her students.

From the first days of Nancy’s teaching career, she was an active member of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. That organization had just won the right to collective bargaining, and Nancy embraced their philosophy and goals. She was elected as Building Rep at Latimer, was soon elected to a position on the PFT Executive Board, and ultimately was hired as Assistant to President in 1985, retiring in 1998. She believed strongly in public education and in the rights of teachers to earn just wages and work in safe conditions. She was an expert proof-reader who knew an errant comma could make a difference in the interpretation of contract language and understood that class size and number of classes taught in a day benefited both students and teachers.

Nancy and Mary Lou purchased a vacant house on the Mexican War Streets in 1985 and spent the next 32 years restoring the house and becoming an integral part of their thriving neighborhood. They were a unifying force on their beloved Palo Alto Street, encouraging everyone to participate in the annual Progressive Dinner, opening their home several times for the yearly house tour, coordinating Luminaria Night, and encouraging frequent stoop sits. No one on the street was a stranger. Although they moved from the neighborhood in 2017, they have never lost contact with the friends they made there.

After Nancy retired, she continued to embrace a life of service to others. She volunteered at Allegheny General Hospital first as an escort who ushered people in wheelchairs to their appointments; later she delivered patient mail. She was a member of Parish Council and of the Arimatheans funeral ministry at St. Peter Catholic Church. There was also lots of time for fun. Her purchase of a camper van and participation in RVing Women led to discovering new destinations across the eastern United States and making more forever friends. She went to the symphony, plays, baseball games, and fundraisers for favorite charities. She supported the organizations she believed in through her time, talent, and treasure.

Due first to the restrictions brought about by COVID and then by her declining health, Nancy spent the last few years of her life confined to the apartment far more often than she liked. But she never lost her joy in reading; in finding a new TV series to binge on; in playing word games on her phone; in enjoying the sites and sounds of the trail, the river, and the city from the balcony; and in keeping in touch with her family and friends. She often said that she had everything she had ever wanted in her life. She was so grateful to the people and experiences that had shaped her from that feisty child to the strong, principled woman she became. She loved and was loved deeply, and her love lives on.

Nancy passed with only two regrets: She didn’t live long enough to see a woman elected as President of the United States, nor did she get to vote in this year’s mid-term elections or in the next Presidential Election. She’s counting on friends and family to become informed voters who vote in every election for the rest of their lives. Don’t disappoint Nancy; she’s watching! Vote!. 

Family and Friends received Wednesday from 2:00 pm  - 8: 00 pm at the Thomas P. Kunsak Funeral Home, Inc. 3552 California Avenue at Davis Avenue Pittsburgh, Pa. 15212. A Funeral Mass will be held in Christ Our Savior Parish ( Saint Peter Church)  Thursday at 10:00 am. Interment to follow in Christ Our Redeemer Cemetery.

In Lieu of flowers the family suggests:

Donations in Nancy’s memory can be made to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (pittsburghfoodbank.org) or to the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh (wcspittsburgh.org).