Nancy Hansel Bush Houston, TX Passed away peacefully on Sunday night at her home in Houston, Texas. She was surrounded by her family when she passed and did so gracefully and without pain. She fought with great spirit a battle with cancer over the last 6 months of her life.

She is survived by her husband Gary with whom she was married 47 years. She is also survived by three children: Stuart Bush, Sarah McKenney, Susan Quill, and ten grandchildren she loved dearly. Their son, Stuart and his wife Michelle of Telluride, Colorado have four children, Rowan, Devin, Marin and Dylan. Their daughter, Sarah and her husband Ryan of Houston, Texas have three children, Addisyn, Mia, and Holden. Their daughter, Susan, and her husband Eric of Houston, Texas have three children, Luke, Vivian, and Eli. Nana, as the grandchildren knew Nancy, relished and cherished her grandchildren's events and special moments. Nancy Bush was an exceptional and caring wife, mother and grandmother and she will be forever in our hearts. Nancy is preceded in death by her parents Dorothy and Paul Hansel and her brother Robert, all of Lancaster, Ohio.

Nancy Ellen Hansel was born January 26, 1944 in Orlando, Florida in Orlando County Hospital. She spent her early childhood in Florida and Indiana and then moved to Lancaster, Ohio in the 1st grade. She moved onto 6th avenue in Lancaster where she met some of her lifelong friends. She attended Lancaster East Elementary School, Thomas Ewing Junior High School, and Lancaster High School. During her school years, she was active in many church and club activities. After graduating in 1962, Nancy attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She graduated in 1966 with a degree in Sociology. She then moved after graduation to Washington D.C. with two friends from Lancaster. Nancy spent 10 years in D.C. working as a travel agent and was able to take many fabulous trips, including a memorable multi-week trip to India, cementing her love and desire to explore the world. She never stopped planning and exploring, finding joy in the adventure and discovery of different cultures and places.

Nancy met Gary in their apartment building in Washington D.C. and were married in June 1970. Gary's work relocated them to Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where Nancy gave birth to Stuart Garrison Bush in 1972 and Sarah Alice Bush in 1975. They moved to Houston in 1978 and welcomed their third child, Susan Elizabeth Bush in 1980. Nancy thrived as a homemaker and wife in the Huntwick subdivision where she was active in the elementary school PTO, John Wesley United Methodist Church, tennis league, and all the family and neighborhood activities. She also loved working at the Mothers' Desk at St John's School where all her children attended. Nancy was renown for her famous apple and pecan pies, which she would lovingly bake and sell or gift to friends every Thanksgiving and Christmas. She also loved her dogs, long-haired standard dachshunds, which she and Gary have had throughout their marriage.

Nancy's passions included cooking, travel, her grandchildren, and especially reading. She always had great friends surrounding her who loved her for her compassion, wit, and her infectious laugh. Her friends describe her as kind, passionate, thoughtful, helpful, and fun. She adored spending time in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where she and Gary have a second home, and loved frequenting the shops and restaurants with the UNC Women's soccer coaching team and her childhood Lancaster friends. Besides exploring new places every year on her beloved Backroads trips, Nancy still had a place in her heart for the years she spent with her family at Callaway Gardens in Georgia and The YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. She continued to seek new experiences in travel and in her life all the way to the end. Regardless of where she was in the world, Nancy's greatest happiness stemmed from being surrounded by her friends, family and her grandchildren with laughter and maybe a board game or two.

In lieu of flowers or other remembrances , the family has requested donations be made to John Wesley United Methodist Church. Please send checks in memory of Nancy to John Wesley UMC at 5830 Bermuda Dunes, Houston, TX 77069 .

An electronic remembrance page has been set up by the family at:

http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/NancyBush/homepage.aspx

We would be very pleased if you would share a memory on this page. The family will be having a memorial service for Nancy at John Wesley United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 2:00pm. We will love her for the rest of our lives.