Nancy Jean Wilson

Nancy Jean Wilson passed away peacefully on September 7, 2026 and entered the Kingdom of Heaven. She was born August 4, 1928 in a rural farming community outside of Big Rapids Michigan. Born from a long line of Midwestern pioneers that stretched back generations. Her great grandfather established the family farm in 1877 from a homestead grant issued by President U.S. Grant. She grew up within a loving family including a sister and brother as the family lived through difficult times of the Great Depression. All through her life she gave to others the Christian values of love, kindness and care for others which she taught her family. In 1949 she married her husband Paul and they started a family life together bringing into the world sons David, Mark and Richard and daughter Elizabeth. The family lived in Garden City Michigan until they moved to Tucson Arizona in 1968 where she lived with her husband until his death in 2016. She is survived by three of her children, David, Richard and Elizabeth, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son Mark and Richards’s life partner Marilyn Carney. 

Her love of life and family included working as a teacher’s aid in private elementary schools. She also recognized and opened her home to provide daycare to one special baby girl who brought happiness and joy to Nancy and Paul. As this little one grew under Nancy's care many happy memories were made lasting over the years and now this remarkable little one has become a remarkable adult who maintained a meaningful relationship with Nancy through her later years. 

Nancy was also an avid painter of water colors, acrylics and oils. The artistic side of her seems to have carried on into younger generations as she encouraged others to be creative. She loved to travel with family planning extensive cross country road trips when her children were young. The trips continued and became more detailed and marvelous for her adult children to enjoy. She loved islands and traveled to the Caribbean and several Hawaiian Islands throughout her golden years. 

Nancy loved animals and gratuitously adopted many dogs and cats in need of a good home. She also loved the desert and the beauty of the Catalina Mountains as did her family who still live in Arizona and beyond. 

Throughout Nancy's life whether in easy times or struggling times, she was able to find joy and had a brilliant smile that seemed to lighten the experiences of life. 

Her family was the recipient of how she showed love and kindness through the adversities of life, always giving hope and strength in both good and trying times.This then exemplified her following of our Saviors teachings “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the Prophets.” [Mathew 7:12] 

God rest our dear mother as we will greatly miss your smile and kindness.