Nancy Ellen Pees

Nancy Ellen Pees passed peacefully from this Earth Thursday, February 20, 2025, near her family in Stockbridge, Ga. Born June 17, 1939, she was the only child of the late Raymond Duvall and Rena Mae Formeck Duvall. Having the rare distinction of being raised by her great- grandparents, Charles Tufford and Rena Mae Davis Tufford, she was for most of her life a proud resident of her beloved hometown of Marianna. As a child, her days were devoid of modern amenities. Living in a small country house with no electricity nor telephone service, she spent many joyful days exploring the rural countryside. In the evenings, entertainment came in the form of radio shows powered by an old car battery. As she grew older, however, she became determined to pull herself up by her bootstraps, and despite not graduating from high school, demonstrated an unshakeable work ethic. She married her late ex-husband, Homer Pees in 1957 and started a family on the farm where they resided for several years. In 1970, the family dispensed with farm life and bought a home closer to 'town', where she resided until her move to Georgia in 2019. For decades, she worked long hours waiting tables at The Meadows racetrack clubhouse, determined to provide a better life for her children than was available to her. Though having spent the last few years of her life near her family in Georgia, she always lamented leaving her beloved hometown. Despite exiting high school early, she was an innately inquisitive person, who was always motivated to learn new things, and as an adult proudly earned her GED. She also became a self-taught and proficient typist, a skill that served her well at the advent of the computer age, which she embraced eagerly. She had a creative side as well that involved learning to play the piano, painting, gardening, and even dabbling in poetry. In her adult life, she was an enthusiastic air traveler, flying frequently to numerous destinations around the country, especially to visit with friends and family members. Besides her family though, her greatest devotion in life was to her many dogs: Percy, Elsa, Milo, Jennifer, Samantha, Sally, Jake, Snowball, Major, Ben, and lastly, Maggie, who was with her until her final days. She is survived by two devoted sons: Glen "Pete" Pees of Stockbridge, his wife, Denise Dorsey Pees, and two granddaughters, Annika and Autumn; and her younger son, Dr. Edward Pees of Exeter, R.I., his wife, Tracey Acquaro Pees and her daughter, Katelyn Acquaro. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Washington Area Humane Society in Washington.