Nancy Elizabeth Fennell

Beloved wife, daughter, sister, grandmother, friend and servant, Nancy Jeffries Fennell of Concord, NC passed away at home on July 19, 2018. Nancy had told her family and close friends for several years that she was going to write her own obituary so “nothing would be left out”. Sadly, she did not accomplish this before leaving behind those who love her and are so fortunate to celebrate the memories of the wonderful life she lived. We hope to do her proud with this tribute of our sweet Nancy.

Nancy Jeffries Fennell, daughter of the late Warren “Jeff” and Marguerite Caddell Jeffries was born October 11, 1951 in Charlotte, NC. She is also preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Mac Fennell. Nancy is survived by and will be forever remembered by her husband and best friend, Louis A. Fennell of Concord, daughter Ashley Lee (Jason) of Asheville, sons Gus Fennell (Chloe) of Concord, Lex Fennell (Kellie) of Concord, brothers Jim Jeffries of Jamestown, David Jeffries (Debbie) of Winston-Salem and sister-in-law Molly F. Savage of Charlotte. Nancy will also be forever remembered by her seven beautiful grandchildren: Jackson, Campbell, Ella, Kiley, Grant, Caroline & Lawson, her nieces and nephews, and her many dear friends.

Nancy grew up as a member of the Calvary United Methodist Church, and graduated from Myers Park High School in 1969. She attended North Carolina State University before transferring to Rex Nursing School in Raleigh NC. Later she went on to attend Atlantic Christian College to graduate top of her class with a B.S. in nursing. Nancy began work as a postpartum nurse at Rex Hospital. She loved her job of 18 years while finding joy in helping mothers and their newborn babies get to know one another. Nancy was recognized numerous times for the tender love and care she gave to her patients.

Nancy enjoyed living in Raleigh and made many lifelong friends. For 25 years after she still made it a priority to travel back to Raleigh to celebrate the birthdays, Christmas holidays, and never missed the annual gatherings with her “sister girlfriends”. These “sisters” have always and will forever remain in her heart.

After 41 years of what she described as a “spinster”, Nancy met the love of her life – Louis Fennell. They married on February 20, 1993. This next chapter in her life would begin in Concord, NC.

Her dedication to the service of new mothers and babies continued for an additional 18 years as a postpartum nurse at CHS-Northeast until her retirement in 2012. Once again, her patients loved her and she loved them. We can’t count the number of times we witnessed moms approaching Nancy thanking her again for her tender loving care. Of course, with her steel-trap mind Nancy always remembered them – no matter how old their “baby” was!

Nancy immediately made a lasting impact in Concord with her community services, kindness and that contagious smile that brightened every room. She became involved throughout the community, engaged with family and friends, and joined Central United Methodist Church where she was a member of the Christian Fellowship Class. She believed in the Lord and enjoyed the fellowship provided by the churches she attended. Nancy loved being a member of the Merry Tiller Garden Club and also became very involved with the Concord Civic Garden Council, serving as secretary for many years. The annual spring symposium was her favorite event. No telling how many silent auction items she collected throughout her years on the Council. Nancy was a dedicated member of Reviewer’s Book Club. We don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn her favorite seat to fill was the Good Cheer Chair. She loved to send cards and notes to people for all reasons and all seasons. Any recipient has a precious keepsake because of the sincere and kind words she wrote. She served sausage with her big smile at the annual Boys & Girls Club Pancake Day for many years. Nancy had a huge soft spot for the elderly, and spent many years supporting her community through the local election board. One of her proudest works was attending to her mother for the last years of her life at Taylor Glen. Not only did she attend to her mother, but she also made the rounds at Taylor Glen making sure to check on and brighten the day of many of the residents.

Simply put, Nancy cared for her community, her family, her friends, and everyone who entered the gravity of her life. This is evident by her life efforts helping people. She became a nurse to help people, she had an amazing way of making everyone in her life feel special, she always had time for those who needed her, and she was a great listener who knew exactly what to say. She was an eternal optimist who could always find the good in people. Deep down she felt she could make a difference. When many people would say nothing could be done, Nancy would say, “Well I’m going to try and get it straight”. She grew up in a family where the Shriners were a big part of her life. Till the end, one of her daily “to do” items were reading the Charlotte Observer obituaries where she knew many of her parents’ friends and her old friends. She always contacted and comforted their families.

Her interests and passions were varied. Nancy was a “celebrity hound”. She enjoyed having pictures made with celebrities at special events. She was a sports fan, loving college (GO PACK!) and various professional sports. Her first allegiance in the NFL was always the Dallas Cowboys. After the Carolina Panthers came to Charlotte, she and Louis were charter season ticket holders, missing very few home games.

Nancy loved travelling. Her favorite place to visit was the beach – specifically their home in Ocean Isle. Her favorite time there was spending the week of July 4th with the entire family. She rarely missed an SOS event and loved to shag the night away – especially to “My First My Last My Everything.”

Her greatest joy in life was always her family. Along with tending to her mother and daddy until the end, she was devoted to and looked forward to special times spent with her brothers Jimmy and David. The highlight of this year was celebrating 25 years of marriage to her best friend and love of her life, Louis. They had a very special love and cared for each other in a special way. Many will remember hearing Nancy lovingly calling “Louie-e-e” in that high pitched crescendo with her southern accent. She felt so blessed to have such loving children in her life and returned their love always. She was happiest being the loving grandmother to all her beautiful grandchildren, showing them unconditional love always.

By the grace of god, Nancy has been healed of the physical roadblocks she confronted in life. She is now “In The Garden” and living as the Angel she was to all of us on earth. She will always live in our hearts through her legacy of unselfish love and devotion to her family, friends and community.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday July 22, 2018 at Central United Methodist Church, officiated by the Rev. Carol Carkin. The family will receive friends after the service in the Coltrane Memorial Room.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to The Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus Co, 247 Spring St, NW Concord, NC 28025

On-line condolences may be left at www.wilkinsonfuneralhome.com.
Wilkinson Funeral Home is handling arrangements for the Fennell family.