- Date Of Birth: March 19, 1953
- Date Of Death: October 19, 2022
- State: Idaho
Nancy Jane Kingsford, 69, of Boise, Idaho, passed away peacefully at home from terminal cancer, at 9:30 am, October 19, 2022, surrounded by her husband, Leon, and youngest son James.
Nancy was preceded in death by her father, her mother and older brother who have passed away. Nancy is survived by her younger brother Edwin McNeal, her husband Leon, her four children Wayne, Cheryl, Cindy Loux, James and her two grandsons, Trevor, and Alex.
Nancy Jane McNeal was born March 19th, 1953 in the old St Alphonsus Hospital, in Boise, Idaho to her parents Henry Clarence McNeal, Jr and Ruth Ida McNeal who were living at the time on Eagleson Rd. She joined her older three-year-old brother Rodney Clare McNeal at home with her loving parents. One of Nancy’s memories of early childhood was when she was about four years old. About that time, she had an accident that caused her to break her leg, causing her to have a cast from her foot to her armpits. This only stopped her from riding her tricycle for a short time. She found a crazy way to ride but worked. She dragged her cast on the ground while she road. As a result, she wore out the first cast and had to have a new one put on. Her family always had dog and she grow up loving and playing with dogs. About 1957 her and her family move to a house at 2906 Normand Dr., Boise, Idaho. Here she attended Mrs. Browns kindergarten at the age of five, at the age of six Nancy started grade school at the Mountain View Elementary School, went on to attend Fairmont Junior High and graduated from Capital Senior High School in 1972. She continued her higher education at Boise State College for an addition year and a half. During her school years she learned to play and enjoy the clarinet. She played in the pep bands, marching bands, and concerts.
During her years at Capital High School the band was very important. During marching band season, she loved being in the Idaho District 3 Mel Shelton Marching Band Competition held in October. In college she also played with the Boise State College Marching Band. She also loved to sing alone and with others. She also played the piano and later inherited her parent’s piano to play on at home.
At the time Leon became acquainted with Nancy she was working as a maid at the Hotel Boise. Somehow, he seemed managed to show up regularly to pick her up from work and take her home. There were occasional stops in the parks where they would walk and talked.
Much of her activities included Leon, her friends Paul and Donna.
By the first of 1974 they were getting more serious about the thought of marriage. Paul and Donna had already gotten engaged and was planning a Valentine’s Day wedding and were trying to convince Nancy and Leon to join them in a double wedding. However, they failed to accomplishing that. Neither were quite ready to take on that commitment. About that same time Nancy was at Leon’s house for dinner and during the afternoon they got in a minor argument over a girl Leon had dated earlier. During the argument Leon asked her to become engage and she said yes. It was not all roses after he asked her to be engaged. Her mother was not fond of him from the start. Her mother had wanted her to marry Paul instead. It was not until years later that he found out it was because he tended to be sarcastic around their daughter. When the night came that he had arrange to ask her father for her hand in marriage things were not going well. Her dad was pretty much for it but her mother was adamantly against it. Fortunately for him her grandmother was there and ran interference. It was finally agreed that she could marry him. In time July 31st was set for the wedding.
Their first home was a mobile home they had custom designed. It was parked in the Wheel Inn Mobile Manor located in Meridian. It served as their home for about four years. During that time two children were born. Wayne Adam was born on April 1st, 1976 and Cheryl Ann was born on May 22nd, 1978. Wayne was a challenge from the start. Nancy was having trouble nursing him and it was not working to well. She finally got in touch with the La Leche League which work with nursing mother. With their help life got better. In the mobile home was a long hallway of which Wayne liked to roll down. They could tell where he was by his feet nocking on the wall. He never did learn to crawl, all he wanted to do was roll. The first time he sat up was when he manages to pull himself up at the coach and surprised himself when he slipped and ended up sitting. Before he was one, he did learn to walk. Just after the age of two Cheryl was born and he had a new sister. The family was now four. When Cheryl was one year old, pressure was being put on the families in the park by the owners of the Wheel Inn Mobile Manor. They wanted the families to move out so they could turn it into an adult only park. That summer they heard that the Farm Home Administration had received funding for low-income families to buy a house. They applied for the lone and was approved.
Over the years Nancy participated in many of the activities with children. She was a 4H Leader in 1989. The 4H girls were called the Five Mile Foxes #213. Cheryl and Cindy were two of the girls who entered a project in the fair that year. She also served as the Assistant Den Leader for the Webelos Scouts with James. She also attended many of the kids’ sport activities, such as basketball, T Ball, little league baseball, high school baseball, girls’ softball and many more activities over the years. The family loved to play card games, especially UNO, of which lots of laughs and growls were produced during and after the games. Nancy and Leon spent many hours over the years watching their kids grow, learn new talents and skills. They watch each of the children follow in their path as they graduate from Capital High School, except Wayne he graduated from Borua. Cheryl attended Boise State University where she graduated with a Batchelor degree in Psychology.
She held several jobs over the years. One of the first was working as part of a daycare staff. Later she started part time working as a Page for Idaho State Library across from the old Ada Court house. From 1997 till 2001. She was then hired on full time as Office Specialist One from 2001 till 2006 About that time the Idaho State Library role was change to overseeing the libraries across the state instead of a lending library and became known as the Idaho Commission for Libraries. In 2006 she interviewed for the position of Office Specialist Two and received the advancement. She held that position until 2014 when she left her state employment. She then went to work for Experience Works and Jesse Tree as a Participant Assistant from 2014 till June 2017.
On June 13th 2017 her world changed. While at work at Jesse Tree she was eating her lunch. Her supervisor turned to ask her a question and saw that Nancy was not herself. 911 was called and she was taken to St Luke’s Hospital where it was determined that she had had a sever stoke. She lay in the intensive care unit for fourteen days. On July 1st she was transported over to the Elk’s Rehab Center where she under went Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapy for five weeks. She was released from the rehabilitation on August 8th and was taken home where her husband and son James started taking care of her. Where for over five years she had therapy sessions, doctor appointments, two surgeries for cancer, and a second stroke in May 2022. After her second stroke she spent three weeks in St. Alphonsus Rehabilitation Hospital. On September 11th while in St. Luke’s Hospital Nancy was informed that she had terminal cancer and only had months, not years to live. On September 13th she was released under hospice to go home where she continued to have very good care from her husband and son James along with the help from Jennifer her CNA and Riana her nurse. On October 19th at 9:30 am her spirit returned to her Heavenly Father with Leon and James present. During her final time, she was at peace and without pain.
Nancy so wanted to walk again so she could get back into their pickup and fifth wheel trailer so she could go camping again. She loved camping with her family. But that goal was hampered with ongoing health issues that kept her from reaching her goal.
She was a beautiful loving wife, a mother who tried hard to fulfill her role, a loving grandmother to two wonderful grandsons, an aunt and great friend to all she knew. She will be missed but never forgotten.
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