Nancy Coultas
Nancy L. Pardue Coultas was born July 4, 1952, in Auburn, Nebraska. She graduated from Tekamah-Herman High School in 1970. While living in Tekamah in 1985, Nancy met Jeffrey Coultas. They married on March 11, 1988, in St. Charles, Missouri. During their marriage they lived in many different communities throughout the country, moving to Northfield in 1999.
Throughout her professional career, Nancy worked as an Executive Administrative Assistant at several different companies and businesses. Nancy enjoyed gardening and loved being "Nana" to her grandchildren, AJ and Evelyn. Since developing breast cancer, she spent much of her time and energy advocating for breast cancer awareness. She was outgoing, generous, and always willing to give herself to help those in need. Nancy lived to love.
Survivors include her husband, Jeff; her daughter and son-in-law, Alycia and Paul Knabenshue of Hopkins; her grandchildren: AJ and Evelyn; her mother, Betty Gammel of Tekamah; her sister and brother-in-law, Jan and Denny Kjeldgaard of Tekamah; and many friends.
Nancy passed away at her home in Northfield, with her husband and daughter by her side, on Saturday morning, May 17, 2008, at the age of 55.
Services will be 2:00 P.M. Thursday, May 29, 2008, at Trondhjem Lutheran Church in Lonsdale with Pastor Janet White officiating. A reception will follow. Visitation will be at the church one hour prior to the service.
Memorials are preferred to Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation (www.ibcresearch.org) or Northfield Hospice.
Arrangements are with the Benson & Langehough Funeral Home.
A Special Friend
My sympathies to Jeff and all of Nancy's family and friends. While Nancy and I never got to meet "face to face" we became instant friends due to our shared disease, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Nancy was determined to join me as a long-term survivor and did whatever she could to try and make that happen. We talked about our daughters, grandchildren and of course, cancer. She wanted to explore all available treatment options and we would talk by phone or email about the latest treatment discoveries and clinical trials in an effort to find the "magic bullet" that could put this disease to rest and let her have her life back again. How I wish my efforts could have been more successful and we could have found that perfect treatment that would have stopped this dreadful disease.
Know that the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation community mourns with you. We've lost yet another dear sister. In the memory of couragous women like Nancy, we will continue to facilitate research to improve diagnosis, treatment and ultimately survival for those facing IBC.
I pray that you'll find strength, peace and hope to face the challenging days ahead. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Ginny Mason RN, BSN: Executive Director, Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation
I wish all of you could have
I wish all of you could have known Nancy as long as I did. We were high school buddies. We have shared many emails and conversations about IBC. Nancy always had hope and I know that her efforts will not go unnoticedby others who have this terrible disease.
One Christmas, Nancy so needed tires for her car (a Rambler). We were Juniors in high school at the time. Several of her girlfriends wrote a letter to Santa in the local paper asking for "new shoes for Rambley". She laughed so hard about that.
When my mom passed away I found several rolls of undeveloped film. I sent them to a special lab in Denver to be processed and the pictures were Nancy and I at senior prom.
To each of the friends and to all of Nancy's family, you shared a special place in this fine lady's life. We all are so lucky.
Jeff - Nancy would tell me sometimes how she felt so ugly and sick and then you would look at her with such love. She would tell me how lucky she was to have that.
We will all miss her. But we should all marvel about the miracle of Nancy in our lives.
Nancy and I were diagnosed
Nancy and I were diagnosed with cancer the same week - that is how we met. We attended the same church here in Northfield but at different service times. We became fast friends as we both fought breast cancer. But while I quickly overcame this horrid disease, Nancy was forced to continue her war. And she was most certainly AT WAR! She fought breast cancer in her body, and she fought for cancer patients all over the world through her work in fund raising and awareness.
Nancy was a special soul, and I will miss her so very much.
Walk with God, Nancy.
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