Nancy Wolfe Ginzel, 69, lost her three-year battle with primary peritoneal cancer on Friday, March 22, 2013, in Houston, Texas.
Nancy was born February 26, 1944, in Effingham, IL, to William Washington (W.W.) Wolfe and Gertrude Little Wolfe. She was raised in Flora, IL, and graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois in 1966 with a B.S. in journalism. Her activities at the U of I included membership in Gamma Phi Beta social sorority and the presidency of Theta Sigma Phi journalism honorary. She won awards as outstanding student in journalism in both her junior and senior years.
Nancy met the love of her life at the U of I, Marvin (Marv) Ginzel, and they were married on December 4, 1965, at the First Christian Church in Flora. They enjoyed one another’s company and loved being together all their days. They have two wonderful children, Meredith Erin Klatt and Dr. Andrew William Ginzel.
They came to Texas in 1966 when Marv entered the U.S. Air Force (and later went to Vietnam), and they spent much of their married life in Texas because of his work in oil exploration. They also lived in San Angelo; Springfield, MA; New Orleans; London; Stavanger, Norway; and Midland. Nancy worked on newspapers in Illinois, Massachusetts and Texas and retired as chief of the features copy desk at the Houston Chronicle in 2005. She did freelance editing for a few years afterward for Better Homes and Gardens books.
Beloved survivors include her husband and children and their families: Meredith and Nathan John Klatt and grandchildren Caroline Grace Klatt, 12; Ethan James Klatt, 10; and Susanna Claire Klatt, 8, of Weston, CT, and Drs. Andrew and Annie Bui Ginzel and grandchildren Lucy Anh-Thi Ginzel, 7; Abigail (Abby) Anh-Mai Ginzel, 4; and Alice Anh-Lan Ginzel, 2, of Houston. Nancy also leaves her sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Mark Haram of San Antonio, TX; her mother-in-law, Dorothy Ginzel, of Eureka, IL; and her sisters- and brothers-in-law, David and Mary Ginzel, of Peoria, IL; Alvin and Eileen Ginzel Eckhoff of Flanagan, IL; and Tim and Marcia Ginzel Kellenberger of Elgin, IL, as well as nieces, nephews and cousins.
In Houston, Nancy was a member of Chapelwood United Methodist Church, Les Belles Lettres book club, a supper club and her ever-stimulating walking group. She and Marv spent summers in the beautiful Mad River Valley of Vermont, which they loved with a passion, and where she was a member of the Mountain Gardeners. She was thankful for many dear friends in both Houston and Vermont. She loved travel, hostessing friends, cooking, acting as tour guide, reading and needlework.
Perennial gardening in Vermont was another great love, and she spent day after peaceful day working amidst the flowers, bees, butterflies and earthworms, savoring the beauty and harmony of nature. She was proud to have her gardens chosen to be on the Art in the Garden Tour in August 2011 as part of the Vermont Festival of the Arts. So often, as she gardened, these lines from a poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney would run through her mind: “The kiss of the sun for pardon, / The song of the birds for mirth. / One is nearer God’s heart in a garden / Than anywhere else on earth.” She believed this to be true.
But her favorite activity was being with her beloved grandchildren, to whom she was Nana, and the rest of her family, whom she adored and of whom she was so proud. She was so very sad to leave them but so thankful to have had them. Marv would kid her that she never wanted to leave a party early, and she stayed at this beautiful party as long as she could.
Memorial services were held at Chapelwood Methodist Church on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., with a reception following at the church. Inurnment will be later at the South Fayston Cemetery in Fayston, VT, with a view to the Green Mountains that she so loved.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Diane Bodurka and her staff at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Dr. David Ospina and his staff at Central Vermont Medical Center for their skilled and compassionate care.
Those wishing to make a memorial donation may consider the ovarian/peritoneal research fund at M.D. Anderson, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486; www.mdanderson.org/gifts.
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