Nancy Rainey

Nancy Jean Rainey of Holts Summit, Missouri, formerly of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully February 21, 2026. Nancy, or "Sugy" as she was affectionately called, lived a long a beautiful life in service to others.

She was born on November 28, 1930, in rural Shelby County, Missouri, the oldest of three children, to William P. and Pearl B. (Hawkins) Caldwell. She attended grade school in and graduated Valedictorian of her high school class. Upon graduation Nancy attended college at Northeast Missouri State Teacher's College (now known as Truman University) in Kirksville, Missouri. While there she thrived in her studies and enjoyed starring in plays on campus. She graduated with honors in 3 years with a teaching degree in 1951.

She married Harold "Feller" Rainey of Epworth, Missouri on May 19, 1954, at her home in Leonard, Missouri. Together they would embark on a lifelong journey that would take them from Missouri to Iowa, Kansas, and finally to Oklahoma.

Nancy seemed to have been born to be a teacher. Upon graduation from college, she began teaching students in Shelbyville for 4-5 years and Shelbina, Missouri for 2-3 years. She and Feller then moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa so that Feller could continue his education following his previous military service in the Army. She taught school in Cedar Rapids and Wichita, Kansas for one year each in the late 1950s.

In 1959, Feller and Nancy moved to Oklahoma, settling in Oklahoma City. While there, Nancy went back to school where she received a Masters of Education from the University of Oklahoma. For the next several decades she taught first grade at Hillcrest Elementary, in Oklahoma City. During that time Nancy established a reputation as being one of the best reading and math teachers in the nation. Nancy believed that all students should learn to read in first grade, and she devoted the time in and out of class to ensure that every student that attended her class found joy in reading.

In the Fall edition of the Tower Review, Mari Scott of Central State University, wrote an article about Nancy and her work as a teacher: "Every Fall at Hillcrest Elementary School, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, approximately 25 very fortunate six year olds begin first grade. These particular children will spend a year that could change their lives., with one of the most gifted teachers in the country---Nancy Rainey. What makes Ms. Rainey so exceptional is her unique style of teaching. She is bound by neither a rigid curriculum, or a specific basal series. She has over the years developed her own eclectic style. This style translates into a curriculum that for many years has produced phenomenal results. These results can be translated into both achievement test scores and student motivation. California Achievement scores of her students for the school year, 1985-1986, were the 99th percentile, in both reading and total math."

Nancy used a combination of phonics coupled with having student draw pictures while she lectured, having them turn the pictures into stories. Her students didn't just create the stories, they read them to one another in class. Her students thus found writing not a chore but a new discovery of expression. By Halloween her students would have written at least six stories from the pictures they had drawn. She wanted them to find the joy of reading and writing that would fuel their desire to learn more and build a solid foundation upon which to continue their journey of learning. A study done comparing Nancy's students with four other classes in schools, including one private school, with all control groups having student from higher social economic status than Nancy's class, indicated that by the end of the school year 91% had demonstrated age-appropriate logical reasoning skills compared to only 41% for the other classes. In 1990, she was listed as a Who's Who among teachers in the United States. An article in the 1989 Oklahoman highlighted the stories that her first grade students had written, one of which was 50 pages long. In an interview with the Oklahoma City Times Nancy said, "Learning should be a most joyous experience for children, and it is up to the teacher to be very enthusiastic herself, give much praise and encouragement, and create an emotional climate of love and acceptance so that each child can grow to his (or her) greatest potential."

Nancy retired from teaching public school at Hillcrest after 42 years. She tutored from her home until she was 92 years old. During the entirety of her career teaching for the OKC schools she would tutor reading and math to students, refusing any and all attempts to pay her for her time. No child, regardless of race, gender, or economic class was ever turned away. Even in her 90s, students who had attended her first-grade class or had been tutored by her would drop by her home to see her or send her cards and letters of thanks. Often these former students would thank her for instilling in them a lifelong love of reading and credit her for the success that they had found in their careers.

Outside of education she enjoyed Feller's witty sense of humor, painting, weekend trips with her family and visiting craft shows, especially her many trips to visit the "Affair of the Hearts" antique show.

Nancy was preceded in death by her husband Harold on May 21, 1995, after 41 years of marriage; her parents; her brother, William "Bill" Caldwell; her sister, Mary Kathleen "Puddin" Bowdish.

She is survived by many nieces, nephews, grand-nephews and nieces, cousins, and thousands of her former students, who she considered a part of her family. In one interview she said: "All of the children I've taught are part mine." Nancy will be missed by all of those whose lives she touched, who loved her deeply.

Pursuant her request, no services will be held. Private graveside services and interment will be held at the Leonard Christian Church Cemetery in Leonard, Missouri beside her beloved husband, Feller.

Memorials may be made to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund, 34 Washington Street, Suite 230, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481 or the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, in memory of Nancy Rainey-Hillcrest Elementary, 431 W Main St, Suite E, Oklahoma City, OK 73102-4418.

Funeral arrangements are under the care of Freeman Mortuary.