Nancy Ann Wright (Clark) of Washington, IL died on August 14, 2026. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ace K. Clark and Alta Clark, by her sister, Gretchen Bastian, and by her husband Charles N. Wright. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Jill Fazekas and her husband Peter Fazekas and by her son David Wright and his partner Audra Goach. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Hannah Wright (Israel Dereb), Ethan Wright, Nicholas Fazekas, William Fazekas, and Lauren Fazekas, as well as by her great-granddaughter Abby and another great-grandchild on the way. She is also survived by her sister's children, Amie, Greta, Keith and Scott and their children.

Nancy was born on March 22, 1935 to Ace K. and Alta Clark (Webber) and grew up in Hinckley, IL after briefly working as a hairdresser, her mother stayed at home with her daughters and contributed to their small community and church as a volunteer. Ace managed the Hinckley Grain elevator for many decades, raised hunting dogs, and was a brilliant golfer and bowler.

Nancy's life was rich with extended family and activities. In addition to taking dance lessons, she played the bass clarinet in the school band, acted in occasional plays, and helped with the yearbook. She was active in Hinckley United Methodist Church where her family attended for many years. When she graduated high school in 1953, Nancy started college at Northern Illinois University in nearby DeKalb, but soon she followed her sister's path and transferred to Monmouth College where she studied business and Spanish and was an active member of the Kappa Delta sorority. She graduated in 1957 and was always proud of her time as a Scot. Shortly after graduation, she lived and studied in Mexico City for a summer.

While teaching at Polo High School, Nancy met a young math and science teacher from Southern Indiana who had made his way to Illinois through the University of Missouri and the Navy. Charles and Nancy married on Dec. 27, 1962, just after Nancy finished graduate study in counseling at Northwestern University. After teaching in Polo, IL and Woodstock, IL, the couple moved to Urbana, IL for Chuck to pursue graduate studies in mathematics. In 1966, David was born. The family soon moved to Pennsylvania for Chuck to teach at Wilson College, and Jennifer Jill was born in 1968.

By 1970 they returned to Illinois for Chuck to teach at the newly established Illinois Central College near Peoria. They bought a house in nearby Washington, the community where Nancy lived for the remainder of her life. After a few years at home with Jill and David, Nancy began substitute teaching and working at Washington Public Library, a job that lasted for 29 years. Vacations to Disney World, Mackinac Island, South Dakota, and the Grand Canyon fit in between baseball games (David), dance lessons (Jill), and many music lessons and performances. In the late 1970s, Chuck took up running and the family often attended races. During this time, Nancy and Chuck also developed many close friendships with other couples. Many of those friendships lasted into Nancy's final years.

When both children graduated from Millikin University in the 1980s, Chuck and Nancy continued to work, but also took time to travel, including a trip to Ireland and Scotland. Both children married in the early 1990s.

In 1997, Chuck died unexpectedly at the age of 59, just after their first grandchild was born and just before their second. Nancy persevered, with the support of her many friends and the support of David and Jill. She loved visiting with all five of her grandchildren, celebrating their graduations and other successes. Her sister Gretchen was often Nancy's regular traveling companion until Gretchen passed away in 2009.

Surviving unexpected loss, surgeries, and the Washington tornado was possible for Nancy in large part because of her sense of family and community, grounded in her Christian faith. The technology of a Cochlear implant restored her diminished hearing and allowed her to enjoy conversations and activities throughout the last years of her long life.

No matter how often her kids and grandkids visited, Nancy always waited eagerly for more visits, setting out Fannie Mae candies and M & Ms to entice all who would appear on her doorstep. At the end of each of those visits, she would stand at the doorway and hug those she loved, very often sending them off with the same admonition she used to give to David and Jill when they were young: "Be good, be careful, and have a good time."

Before he died, Chuck once said of his wife, "Once she decides to love you, that's what she does." And that has proven to be true in the lives of her family, loved ones, and many friends.

The family will invite others to mourn and remember Nancy at a Memorial Service on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 11:00 a.m. at Deiters Funeral Home and Crematory, 2075 Washington Road, Washington, IL. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service from 10 to 11a.m. at the funeral home.  An afternoon reception will be held from 1:30-4:30 at the Tangled Roots Brewery in Washington.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing honor Nancy's life and memory may make donations to Monmouth College, her alma mater, the college where David is a Professor of English, and where her Grandson Ethan is studying chemistry. The donations will go to improve student experiences on campus.

To donate, please visit: https://www.monmouthcollege.edu/give/ways-to-give/ or contact the Monmouth College Development Office at 309-457-2231. Simply indicate that your gift is in memory of Nancy Wright.