SHE WAS A PASSIONATE MATH
TEACHER WHOSE LAUGHTER FILLED
THE HALLWAYS FOR TWO DECADES.
THAT'S ONLY PART OF WHAT
MADE NANCY GAIL SO MEMORABLE.
SHE WAS SO HIGH ENERGY.
YOU HAD TO RUN TO TRY TO KEEP
UP WITH HER IN ALL ASPECTS,
ANYTHING SHE DID.
WHEN NANCY WASN'T TEACHING
MATH SHE WAS TEACHING AEROBICS
AT HER LOCAL YMCA OR DANCING
WITH THE TIMBERWOLVES SENIOR
DANCE TEAM AND AS ANGELA DAVIS
SHOWS US IN THIS WEEK'S LIFE
STORY, HER JOY AND ENTHUSIASM
WERE OFTEN CONTAGIOUS.
GOING UP, GOING DOWN.
SHE IS A SUPERFUN GRANDMA.
SHE WOULD CHASE THEM AROUND
AND, YOU KNOW, READ TO THEM AND
JUST A REAL LIVELY CHARACTER.
SHE IS HONORED WHEN PEOPLE
SAY SHE RESEMBLES HER MOM.
JUST HER LAUGHTER, I THINK
PEOPLE SAY THAT WE -- I GOT
THAT FROM HER, SO --
Reporter: AT ANOKA TECHNICAL
COLLEGE HER FELLOW MATH
INSTRUCTORS SAY SHE MADE IT FUN
TO COME TO WORK.
SHE WOULD START SINGING A
SONG OR START DANCING IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE OFFICE.
Reporter: SHE WAS ALSO KNOWN
FOR MAKING MATH FUN FOR HER
STUDENTS AND BOOSTING THEIR
CONFIDENCE.
BUT I THINK THE BIGGEST
THING SHE TAUGHT ME IS HOW TO
INTERACT WITH PEOPLE AND HOW TO
CARE FOR OTHER PEOPLE AND TAKE
YOUR EYES OFF YOURSELF.
WHEN SHE TOLD HER STUDENTS
THAT SHE WAS GOING TO RETIRE,
THERE WAS THIS LIKE AUDIBLE
"NO" BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT
HER TO RETIRE.
Reporter: MORE TIME AT HOME
BROUGHT MORE TIME WITH HER
HUSBAND AND COLLEGE SWEETHEART
AS WELL AS HER THREE YOUNG
GRANDCHILDREN AT THE AGE OF 64,
NANCY DECIDED SHE WANTED TO
JOIN THE TIMBERWOLVES SENIOR
DANCE TEAM.
SHE TRIED OUT FOR SOMETHING
THAT WAS COMPLETELY NEW AND
DIFFERENT AND DID IT AND, YOU
KNOW, EVEN A FEW MONTHS OF
PASSING AWAY, SHE WAS ABLE TO
GET OUT THERE AND DANCE.
SHE LIKELY PERFECTED SOME OF
HER MOVES WHILE TEACHING
AEROBICS AT THE NEW HOME YMCA.
HER FAMILY SAYS A DIAGNOSIS OF
STAGE 4 COLON CANCER TOOK NANCY
BY SURPRISE IN 2013, ESPECIALLY
SINCE A COLONOSCOPY FOUR YEARS
PRIOR TO THAT SHOWED NO SIGNS
OF PROBLEMS.
SHE KEPT GOING AND OBVIOUSLY
SHE HAD LIMITATIONS BUT SHE
JUST DID WHATEVER SHE COULD.
Reporter: ANGELA DAVIS, WCCO
4 NEWS.
NANCY GAIL WAS 64 YEARS OLD
WHEN SHE DIED ON MARCH 16th.
DONATIONS IN HER MEMORY CAN BE
MADE TO THE ANOKA TECHNICAL
COLLEGE FOUNDATION FOR STUDENT
SCHOLARSHIPS.
