Nancy Cheney

Nancy Cheney passed away May 9, 2026. Nancy was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, and a child of God. She was a follower of Christ who took her faith seriously. As a mother she was a leader and caretaker. As a wife of 63 years she was loving, devoted, and faithful. Nancy was born in 1939 in Indiana to her parents, Helmuth and Irene. The second of two daughters, she joked that she was a late life surprise and was often mistaken for her older sister’s child. Following her birth, the family moved back to her parents’ hometown of Davenport, Iowa. Nancy was very proud of her German heritage and of her family’s roots in Davenport. Her grandfather and uncle had served as mayors of the city. It was her large, extended, raucous family who instilled in her a love of music and of dogs, including her childhood Dachshund, the German Shepard gifted to her as a young bride, and finally her much loved Dalmatians. Nancy loved music of all genres and played the piano. She also loved to sing and participated in several choirs in school and in the Episcopal church and sang for various weddings. In fact, she almost ran away from home with her best friend to start a career in singing but thought better about it. Nancy graduated from Davenport High School and attended the University of Iowa, her father’s alma mater, focusing on a degree in speech pathology. She always wanted to help others and had an interest in medicine. While at university she was active in her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, and in campus life. Nevertheless, she didn’t quite complete her degree. Instead, she left college one semester shy of graduation and married the love of her life, her husband, William, whom she’d met at a family Christmas party. Christmases with her family were anything but stodgy, with doors open to neighbors near and far, including William’s family. William was in the Air Force, and following the wedding he moved his new bride from the green fields of Iowa to the browns of the Texas south plains. Less than ten months later they had their first of two sons. Nancy was a supportive Air Force officer’s wife and throughout the 1960s traveled with her husband and oldest son to multiple bases across the country. One of those bases was Biggs Army Air Field in El Paso, Texas, where they, as a family of four, returned many years after the military. Nancy wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about moving back to El Paso as her husband was, but she soon grew to love the desert southwest and embraced the vibrant border culture. She spent many years working in education, giving of herself to children, teaching and mentoring them. She was a classroom aide and later a library clerk at two different schools in EPISD. Although she worked full time later in life, she never shirked from her first responsibilities of being a wife and mother. To her, family came first in everything. Wherever she lived, Nancy was active in the various churches she attended, teaching Sunday School to elementary aged kids, chaperoning youth events, and assisting in various women’s ministries. Nancy was diagnosed with dementia in 2024, and eventually her body just shut down. She passed away peacefully. Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Gloria, and by her beloved husband, Bill. She is survived by her sons, Matthew and David. The family is planning a private service and interment at a later date where she and William will be laid to rest together with other family members at Davenport Memorial Park in Davenport, IA. In lieu of flowers or cards, the family asks you to consider a donation in Nancy’s name to Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org or to one of her favorite organizations, the Dalmation Rescue of North Texas at www.dalpal.com.

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Nancy Cheney

May 9, 2026