Nancy Dworzak
June 27, 1937 ~ August 27, 2017 (age 80) 80 Years OldShare Tribute:
Born in Boston in 1937, Nancy grew up in Natick, Massachusetts. An only child to John and Blanche Flannery, she had numerous close school friends and cousins with whom she remained close. She was an RN graduate of St. Elizabeth’s Nursing School in 1957 and worked on and off as a nurse over the years. Living in the same Westminster home since 1964 she enjoyed many friendships with her good neighbors as well as friends from her various interests and work. She and Marvin celebrated 54 years of marriage on August 17, 2017.
Nancy passed away surrounded by her family on August 27, 2017.
She is survived by her husband, Marvin, daughter Jody, son John, daughter-in-law Cindy and dog Lillie Mae, all of whom will miss her dearly.
How do you try to sum up a person’s life that’s actually bigger than the life itself? That’s what you’ll face when you try to sit down and try to capture the essence of what made Nancy Flannery Dworzak’s life so very remarkable.
The welcome, but quintessential descriptions when it comes to Nancy Flannery Dworzak. The problem is that Nancy wasn’t the sum of her roles in life:
Assigning these simple descriptors to Nancy does not do her memory the justice she deserves:
Curious & Excited:
The little things brought her joy…sewing collectibles, teddy bears, beanie babies (for a time). She loved going to Seal Beach so much she worked in the parking lot booth so she could spend more time there with sea life and the waves breaking. She loved the Canada Geese flying over the Naval Reserve, and taking pictures of the sea birds at the Reserve. (The MP often would follow her to find out what she was doing!)
Loving & Supportive & Caring;
It was school for John & Jody, she took time off from nursing to support every endeavor they sought to pursue…she made it to every one of John’s little league baseball games, and high school games. Also, she attended numerous choral performances of the Berkeley Community Chorus. Later as adults, she worked “behind the-scenes when one of us needed help or ran into a little scrape along the way. Also enjoyed were wonderful dinners, the theatre, a vintage train ride, the horse races starring non-other than California Chrome. She tried hard to teach, with the patience of a saint, Jody and Cindy to knit. That made Jody and Cindy very happy, if not frustrated at times!
Thoughtful:
She always had and mailed the perfect cards for EVERY holiday.
Her daughter-in-law Cindy shared her passion for the importance of personal correspondence. The highest complement Cindy ever got from Nancy is she said, “You are the BEST thank-you note writer”.
She loved getting gifts with the most meaning/significance behind them especially woodworking and framed photos. The value was unimportant.
What Nancy was famous for:
She loved crafts starting with knitting, then needle point and finally cross stitch. On occasion, she entered her pieces into the Orange County Fair. After the sampler she made for John and Cindy’s wedding (1996), she’d had enough, but it turned out beautifully and has hung on their wall ever since. There are many recipients of her craftwork, which we will hold dear.
Other amusing facts about Nancy:
From Cindy:
Nancy’s life revolved around people and the importance of maintaining of those relationships. She was a very private person and would rather be the “helper” than the “helpee”. Quick to chip in when she could. It was a treat to let you help her.
She loved the simple life, life was about relationships and that was paramount to her.
Her biggest accomplishments are her children. She instilled in John to think about others “feelings” when talking about anything. She made John and Jody thoughtful human beings.
To Nancy from Cindy:
I would like to thank her and remember her most for sharing John while she was here. It was because of her that he is the most intelligent, talented, sensitive, loyal, supportive, caring, generous husband that a “girl-next-door” could ever ask for. Because of her, we have been able to share the good with the bad for almost 25 years together. I promise you, I will care for him and share my mother and father with him as they do already treat him like a son.
Mother, we are going to miss you so much!!!