Many BK brothers and sisters will remember our spunky spiritual sibling, Nancy. She lived in Eugene, Oregon from 2001 to 2012, leaving for the East Coast soon after her 80th birthday.

Here is her obituary, written by her daughter Barbara. In the slider are photos capturing highlights of her 11 years in Eugene.

2007 Dadi & Nancy in Eugene_IMG_9183

Nancy Hammer, passed away peacefully April 4. Intelligent and always a free spirit, she participated in many adventures in her life, and I will miss her.

Born in Bedford, PA, she got her first degree in education from Penn State, which is where she met my father. After marrying, they lived in Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Ohio and Lynchburg before settling in Greensboro, NC. There she taught at GTI, later GTCC. She got a masters degree from UNC-G and a second masters from University of Tasmania, as a Rotarian scholar.

She always wanted to travel the world, and she seized that opportunity to do so. After retiring, she lived in Tampa, then Australia, New Zealand, London, Germany, Hawaii, Oregon and finally Richmond. I always knew she planned to stay in a place for a while if she bought a car there.

While in Tasmania, she joined the Brahma Kumaris spiritual movement and traveled to India frequently for enlightenment.

At 80, she moved to Richmond so David and I could help her as she aged gracefully. I love that she called me one day and asked if she should give up driving, and if she did, could I teach her how to Uber.

A few years ago, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, then suffered a stroke that left her unable to speak clearly. We still enjoyed each other’s company playing cards, jigsaw puzzles and general silliness.

I’ll miss her, but I know she’s in a better place now, where she can talk clearly, and laugh as the squirrels annoy the birds by stealing their food.

Note: Please click on the images to view in full size.