Nancy Elizabeth Newman

1945 - 2015

July 24, 1945 -

March 26, 2015

Nancy Elizabeth Newman died on March 26th at age 69 from complications related to multiple myeloma. She was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia on July 24th, 1945 to Earl Wiggins and Roberta Ed Wiggins. After divorcing Earl, Roberta married Chester Phillips of Paoli, Pennsylvania, where Nancy grew up. Nancy graduated from Great Valley High School in 1963 and attended Pennsylvania State University and New York University before graduating from University of Oregon in 1969. She later earned a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Northern Iowa in 1974.

In 1969 Nancy began a 40-year teaching career at Pearl Buck Center in Eugene, Oregon and taught in Springfield and Eugene elementary schools before joining the faculty in 1982 at Roosevelt Middle School where she spent 20 years. During her time at Roosevelt, Nancy taught courses in home economics, math, social studies, English, and computer skills, and supervised the school newspaper. After retiring from Roosevelt in 2002 she joined the University of Oregon and spent the last 7 years of her career mentoring young educators in the teaching program.

Nancy met Peter Simpson Newman in the summer of 1965. They were married four years later on June 20th, 1969 on the banks of the Cedar River in Peter's hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa. They celebrated 45 years of marriage last summer.

As an outgoing and gregarious person, relationships were the most important thing in Nancy's life. She will be missed by her family, many friends, and associates. Nancy is survived by her husband Peter and her three children, Jenine Harris of St. Louis, Missouri, Benjamin Newman of Portland, Oregon, and Bryan Newman of Seattle, Washington. She is also survived by her two younger brothers, John Phillips of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania and Nick Phillips of Elverson, Pennsylvania.

Nancy traveled extensively in the last 10 years of her life, spending time in Hawaii where she was a volunteer with the Pacific Whale Foundation. She took a number of trips to Alaska and toured Europe, returning to France and England several times. Some of her travels were to meet newly discovered relatives on her father's side including extended family in Canada and England. After discovering her birth father's family, she also visited the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean, where her birth father's family lived for several generations.

In addition to volunteering for the Pacific Whale Foundation, Nancy was an original member of the board of directors of the Nobel Laureate Peace Park in Eugene, Oregon. To further the mission of promoting peace, Nancy wrote peace-focused school curriculum for teachers and posted regularly on the Peace Park Facebook page. She also volunteered at the HIV-AIDS Alliance.

For many years she attended the First United Methodist Church before joining the First Congregational Church last fall. She was also a long time member of Al-Anon family groups.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nobel Laureate Peace Park or the Pacific Whale Foundation in Nancy's name.

Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. A memorial will be planned for a later date.