Nancy Kyper

Nancy (Vaughn) Kyper, 89, of Galveston, TX, and long-time former resident of Huntingdon, passed away Saturday morning, October 16, 2021, at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Jennie Sealy Hospital, after an unexpected brief illness. Born March 15, 1932 in Huntingdon, she was a daughter of the late Banks W. Vaughn, Sr., and Zelda Gertrude (Weaver) Vaughn. She was united in marriage to John Frederick Sergeant in 1953. Mr. Sergeant preceded her in death on January 26, 1970. She was formerly married to Bernard A. Kyper, who died on March 25, 2011.
Ms. Kyper is survived by three children, Stephen J. Sergeant and his wife, Cindy, of Greensboro, NC, Sandra S. Decker and her husband, Gary, of Antelope, CA, and Kimberley A. Sergeant of Galveston, TX; three grandsons, Darrin Sergeant and his wife, Mary, of Zion, Bryan Decker and his wife, Shawna, of Rancho Cordova, CA, and Jeremy Decker of Antelope, CA; and a great-granddaughter, Evelyn Decker. She is also survived by a sister, Barbara V. Reynolds of Reisterstown, MD; 10 nieces and nephews, Nan Kane, Tom Reynolds, Kendall Lemmon, Chris Vaughn, Rob Chubb, Melissa Nagowski, Cindy Lemin, Holly Sipes, Robin Cheschini, and Scott Vaughn; 24 great-nieces and nephews; and 10 great-great-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by two grandsons, Joseph Sergeant and Christian Quinn; two siblings, Banks W. Vaughn, Jr., and Mary Louise (Vaughn) Chubb; and a nephew, Richard Chubb.
She was a member of the St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Huntingdon, where she was involved with committee work and the church council.
Ms. Kyper was a member of the Huntingdon Forum of Churches, the Salvation Army Board, Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees and the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
She was a 1950 graduate of Mount Union High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Juniata College in 1954. She also obtained additional college credits from LaFayette College, Shippensburg University, and Penn State University.
As a young girl, Ms. Kyper worked in the family business "Hom-Taste Baking Company" with locations in Mount Union, Huntingdon, and Lewistown; and also at the former Poser's Department Store, Huntingdon. Following her graduation from Juniata College, she was a teacher with the Huntingdon Area School District from 1954 until 1961, the North Penn School District from 1961 until 1962, and the Juniata Valley School District from 1962 until her retirement in 1994. She was also a substitute teacher and performed private and S.A.T. tutoring throughout her active employment and following her retirement. While at Juniata Valley, she established and coached the Math Counts Team and held the positions of Cheerleading Coach, Band Front Coach, and Junior High Girls Basketball Coach. From 1980 until 1996 she was the Juniata Valley Track and Field Summer Program Coach; the Assistant Track and Field Coach from 1981 until 1998, and Volunteer Coach from 1999 until 2008. She was also involved with the Juniata Valley Cross Country Team from its program conception, beginning as a Statistician to an Assistant Coach and finally a Volunteer Coach.
Her honors and awards include being named Outstanding Teacher in 1986 by the Southcentral PA Joint Council for School Improvement and guest speaker at Shippensburg University; Who's Who among America's Teachers in 1991; recipient of the Juniata Valley School District Exceptional Service Award in 2006 presented by the Juniata Valley Alumni Association; named Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Salvation Army in 2013; inducted into the Huntingdon County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014; and named the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees Volunteer of the Year in 2018.
Her hobbies included refinishing furniture, working outdoors at home, bike riding on "Rails-to-Trails" and walking. She enjoyed spending time with her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends. She also loved doing volunteer work with the teams at Juniata Valley, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, being active within St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, and flying to be with her daughter, Kim, when she races.
Friends may call from 11:00 A.M. until the hour of service on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at the St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, 525 Mifflin Street, Huntingdon. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at the church, with the Rev. Brandon Cian officiating. Interment will be in the Old Stone Church Cemetery, Penn Township, James Creek.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in remembrance of Nancy V. Kyper may be made to the St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, 525 Mifflin Street, Huntingdon, PA 16652.
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