Nancy Seeliger Sweetland

1926 - 2022

Nancy Seeliger
Sweetland
Nancy Jane Seeliger Sweetland died peacefully on August 28, 2022. Nancy lived her full life almost entirely in the East Bay. Born on October 14, 1926, at what was then Fabiola Hospital on Broadway in Oakland, she attended Crocker Highlands Elementary School, Our Lady of Lourdes Middle School, Holy Names High School, Piedmont High School and U.C. Berkeley. A member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, Nancy married Eugene David Sweetland at St. Leo's Church in 1948; they raised their ten children in Oakland.
She is survived by eight children, three daughters-in-law and three sons-in-law: Mary, Lance, Dave, Claire, Jane, Lee, Susan, Sally, Peggy, Gary, Ted, Sandra, Mike and Viviane; ten grandchildren and their eight partners: Nate, Michelle, Claire, Alex, Lauren, Casey, Reilly, Marcie, Nick, Allison, Haley, Jamie, Evangeline, Isobel, Kevin, Anna Ruth, Manuel, Christina, Mary Karen, Sean, Rose, Joseph, Carson, Katie, Jen, Tyler, Elle, Mae, Nora and Jacob; ten great-grandchildren: Nell, Caroline, Kelsey, Charlie, Quentin, Cleo Elizabeth, Gene, Mara, Day, Colin, Chavin, Skye, Jade, Libby and Macy.
She will forever be remembered for her grace, humor, and faith in the face of great sorrows including the deaths of her husband, one daughter, one son, and one grandchild. Her son, Rob, was twenty-three when he died. Before his funeral, she said, "This puts into perspective what really matters." When the family home burned to the ground in the Oakland Hills fire of '91, she said, "It's only stuff..." Her strength and love bound a large and disparate group of individuals into a tapestry of people who care deeply about one another. Such cohesion did not happen accidentally. It happened because at our center was a mother who modeled how to share small joys, easy laughter, and deep respect.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 on Saturday, September 17, at St. Theresa's Church, 30 Mandalay Road, Oakland.