Some days life brings news that makes you cry real tears.
For the family of Nancy Brace-Davis along with large pockets
of people throughout Napa, CA and anywhere else whose
hearts she captured, that news came on Sunday, March 14,
2021. Nancy passed away at age 48 after a bout with cancer.
Nancy's obituary ran on Wednesday, March, 31, 2021, in the Napa
Valley Register:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/napavalleyregister/name/nancy-davis-obituary?pid=198202249
When the news reached social media, it traveled at the speed
of light, capturing many emotions in the process -- from
sadness to shock and everywhere in between.
Nancy leaves behind her husband, Jeff, along with three kids
(Lauren, Violet and Emmett). She also leaves behind her
parents, Richard and Patricia, along with her older sister,
Jacqueline, and grand-daughter, Gwen. Those names are
just scratching the surface. Nancy also leaves behind
extended family members, friends and acquaintances that
loved her as if she were a member of their own family.
I knew Nancy was enduring her hardship regarding her bout
with cancer because she posted a picture on social media
several months earlier with her head shaved, which was a
stark contrast to her cascading dark curls, as a sign of bravery
that she would defeat this disease. Hair or no hair, she carried
an effervescent smile and personality. Having known Nancy
for most of my life, I had no reason to think any other outcome
of her defeating cancer existed.
Nancy and I are the same age but she was a class ahead of
me in school. We both attended St. Apollinaris School and
Justin-Siena High School, both in Napa, CA. Nancy graduated
from Justin in 1990 while yours truly followed suit in 1991.
Nancy was a prime example of, “to know her was to love her.”
I have met numerous people in my life that were well-liked but
have a pocket of people who think differently of them. Finding
anyone that had misgivings about Nancy? I’d have better luck
finding a four-leaf clover in a wheat field. If you didn’t like Nancy,
you had the problem. Not her.
Nancy was one of the kindest, sweetest, and most fun-loving
people you will meet. She could also mix in a little sassiness
but it was never mean-spirited or malicious. After high school,
I crossed paths with Nancy from time-to-time when out
shopping or at our daughter’s (Danielle D’Adamo and Violet
Davis) youth softball games in 2018. All greetings began and
ended with a ginormous hug. One can only imagine what the
social distancing during Covid-19 did to her. All kidding aside,
Nancy was such a loving soul. That quality is one that becomes
something to behold in a society of shrill personalities. To quote
1970s TV character Archie Bunker, you could be in your worst
“frame of mood” but the moment you saw Nancy, it was like a
lightbulb of sunshine illuminated.
The conversations ranged from old times as kids in Napa to our
lives afterward and everywhere in between. The conversations
were always so great that you left wanting more. Regardless,
they were discussions I will always treasure.
People that know Nancy see a smile and personality that spreads
sunshine. That trait, without question, was the dominant one. She
had an “everybody's friend” appeal.
However, the side of Nancy’s personality that should not be
overlooked is her resilience. For openers, Nancy became a parent
at age 17 along with her then high school significant other (Anton).
She navigated life skillfully as the primary child-rearer for the
aforementioned Lauren. I can’t speak for what Nancy endured in
this role when no one was watching, and not am I here to do so.
However, what I can say is that while becoming a parent at such
a young age can make one lose their youth, Nancy never lost her
youthfulness and energy. She was the same kind, sweet and fun
loving soul as a 25-year old raising an 8-year old child as she was
at any other point in her life.
Nancy’s passing brings yet another reminder. Cancer is not
undefeated because many have lived fruitful lives after recovering
but it’s a disease that still claims far too many lives prematurely.
Nancy’s passing also resonates because I come from a family of
cancer survivors, most notably my mother and two of three sisters.
I’m sure I have ample company.
The sadness of Nancy’s passing is immutable. Would we like to
have seen Nancy live much longer than she did? Yes but anyone
with a clear conscience can see that Nancy made the most of her
48 years. Knowing Nancy as I do, she looked cancer straight in the
eye. Nancy probably had trepidation like anyone in that situation would
but to use an old baseball colloquialism, “she went down swinging”
or “she didn’t leave the bat on her shoulders.”
There is a commonly uttered narrative of, “you only live once.” That
phrase could not be further from the truth. You die once but you live
every day. Nancy lived to the fullest every day she was alive.
Nancy, I’m in no hurry to get to where you are going but I know we'll
meet again some day. You leave behind a lot of loving people on
Earth. You also have many loving people waiting for you in heaven
because of lives you touched in the past.
Hopefully one day “the people versus cancer” battle will swing the
pendulum with the people prevailing in more of these battles.
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