Nancy Jean Alford Hughes

Nancy Jean Alford Hughes

Nancy Jean Alford Hughes, 81, of Portage, passed away Friday, April 25, 2025. Nancy was born to Marvin and Louise Perkins in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She was the third of fourteen children and the oldest daughter. Nancy spent her formative years in Romulus, Michigan.

In 1960, the entire family moved to Gary, Indiana, where she attended and graduated from Emerson High School in 1961. That very summer she met the love of her life James "Jim" Hughes. They were married the following year, September 8,1962, and they remained devoted to one another until the time of Jim's passing (54 years) in October of 2016.

Their years together gave them the other three loves of their lives, their daughters, Melissa, Amber and Jody. Being a mother and homemaker brought Nancy great joy and purpose. Another of Nancy's true passions included her devotion to children outside her home. She was a certified Title I reading Tutor in the Portage Township Schools, working specifically for Paul Saylor Elementary school for 35 years. Her other passions included the study of genealogy and her family's history. She traveled and researched extensively throughout the country in search of relatives, photos, stories or recordings to learn anything she could about her ancestors. Nancy certainly never met a stranger. This made her infamous glitter filled Christmas card list, ever more long.

Nancy is lovingly survived by her daughters, Melissa (Perry) Leon, Amber (John) Mullikin and Jody (Michael) Chatelain; sister-in-law and nephew, Gayle and Scott VanBuren; grandchildren, James (Regiss) Leon, Kristen (Scott) Swanson, Jade (Joshua) Breedlove, Kara (Oliver) Chairez, Leah (Hunter) Brumble, Christopher (Erinn) Deem, Christopher (Shelby) Chatelain, Patrick (Bethany) Chatelain, Nicholas Chatelain; great-grandchildren, Layla Leon, McCoy and Oliver Swanson, Amelia and Cove Breedlove, River Chairez, Estin, Livia and Hugh Huxley Brumble and Noah Deem; siblings, Harry (Barbara) Perkins, Deanna Barber, Donnie Perkins, Rita (Larry) Huffer, Randy Perkins, Mark (Kim) Perkins, Daryl (Gina) Perkins, Larry Perkins and Oscar Kevin (Cindy) Perkins; and a multitude of loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Marvin and Louise (Alford) Perkins; father and mother-in-law, Ernest and Esta Inez (Vann) Hughes; husband, James Alton Hughes; brother-in-law, Jeff (Gayle) VanBuren; and brothers, Terry (Linda) Perkins, Marvin Ray (Beverly) Perkins, Buddy (Sharon) Perkins, and Karl Perkins.

Visitation for Nancy will be held from 2 to 7 p.m., on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at Edmonds and Evans Funeral Home, Portage Chapel, 6941 Central Avenue, Portage.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. the following day, Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the funeral home, with Don Deem officiating. Burial will follow in Heritage Cemetery, Portage.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Boone Grove Christian Church, 356 Groveland Street, Boone Grove, Indiana 46302, or online at http://boonegrovechristianchurch.org/giving/. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.ee-fh.com.