Obituary for Nancy B. Slowikowski (Boyer)
Nancy Boyer Slowikowski, of Naples, FL, and formerly of Camp Hill, PA, passed away on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at her home in Naples.
An avid reader from the age of three, Nancy was a consummate seeker of knowledge. She studied Sociology and French at Pennsylvania State University and tested a few curfews to discover love with a handsome graduate student, Bill her husband of 53 years. Faced with the limited job opportunities for women upon graduation, she looked beyond the societal expectations of teaching, nursing, and marriage and earned a coveted job as a pioneering Pan Am stewardess. Her knowledge of French language and culture put her on the gangway to international flights. Love called her home, and she and Bill married at St. Theresa Catholic church in New Cumberland, effectively ending her first career as stewardesses could not be married, and Nancy and Bill embarked on their journey together.
They traveled the world. With inauspicious beginnings, Bill was drafted into the Army, and while he trained at Fort Monmouth Signal School, they lived in a makeshift apartment, one bay of a garage next to a ‘56 Chevy, and Nancy taught fourth grade at a local school. Nancy and Bill spent more than six years living in Brussells with Bill’s career with Monsanto. Nancy reinvented herself once again drawing upon her language skills. She continued her studies at the French school of Rhode St. Genese.
She explored beyond the expat community and built a remarkable friendship with a Belgian neighbor who had participated in the Belgian Resistance during WWII notably hiding downed Allied pilots in the leafy greens of her potato patch which connected Nancy’s home to hers. Nancy later transformed the inspiration of this friendship and tales of human compassion, defiance, and bravery into her memoir “Three Kisses for Margaret” while earning a MFA from Wilkes University.
Stateside once again, Nancy sought creative outlets to continue her love of learning. As they moved many times to the rhythm of Bill’s career, Nancy studied horticulture, developed a career in real estate, and expertly cooked her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” to the delight of anyone invited to share her table including her beloved golden retriever Iris who had a penchant for sauteed chicken livers. Nancy’s quest for knowledge demanded a bold pursuit equal to her pioneering spirit, and at the age of 33 she was one of select few women to enter and graduate from Washington University School of Law; she practiced family law in Missouri and New York.
Through Nancy and Bill’s shared sense of adventure and love of nature, they created a community for themselves in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Some years this was a brief winter interlude, but ultimately it was the community they resided in and cherished. Nancy built lasting friendships with an intimate group of women who shared her love of reading, cooking, studying French, skiing, snowshoeing, summer music festivals, and serving their community. The immense natural beauty of the area informed her eloquent descriptions of elk migrations, bald eagles, wild horses, and a neighboring den of newborn foxes. The insular snowbound hours were a companion to her love of observing nature, reading and exploring the quiet, quotidian moments of life as expressed in one of her favorite authors Alice Munro, as well as a serious pursuit of her Boyer family genealogy culminating in her membership in the DAR.
Nancy was simply a beautiful person in every way. Beautiful. A nurturing and generous person, she cherished her family. The youngest of three children, she was the force to bring the generations together. She and Bill created a peaceful enclave at Oquaga Lake in New York and whether it was waterskiing, fishing, canoeing, and dog walks or a Thanksgiving feast in the great hall, she opened her heart and home to her family. She mentored and underwrote many a dream or seemingly insurmountable challenge for the younger generation who endearingly called her Tante, as she had called her own German great aunts. Nancy mothered her family in homage to her beloved mother Bunny Boyer who inspired Nancy’s appreciation for culture, education, and community service.
Nancy leaves us with many fond and loving memories. God Bless.
A mass of Christian burial for Nancy will be held at 11:30 A.M. on Saturday, February 27, 2021 in St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church, 1300 Bridge St., New Cumberland, PA, with Rev. William Barbee as Celebrant. A viewing will be held on Saturday, from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. in the Myers-Baker Funeral Home, 1903 Market St. Camp Hill. Immediately following the Mass, burial will be held in Rolling Green Cemetery, Camp Hill.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Audubon Society, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, PA 17110, https://www.audubon.org
An avid reader from the age of three, Nancy was a consummate seeker of knowledge. She studied Sociology and French at Pennsylvania State University and tested a few curfews to discover love with a handsome graduate student, Bill her husband of 53 years. Faced with the limited job opportunities for women upon graduation, she looked beyond the societal expectations of teaching, nursing, and marriage and earned a coveted job as a pioneering Pan Am stewardess. Her knowledge of French language and culture put her on the gangway to international flights. Love called her home, and she and Bill married at St. Theresa Catholic church in New Cumberland, effectively ending her first career as stewardesses could not be married, and Nancy and Bill embarked on their journey together.
They traveled the world. With inauspicious beginnings, Bill was drafted into the Army, and while he trained at Fort Monmouth Signal School, they lived in a makeshift apartment, one bay of a garage next to a ‘56 Chevy, and Nancy taught fourth grade at a local school. Nancy and Bill spent more than six years living in Brussells with Bill’s career with Monsanto. Nancy reinvented herself once again drawing upon her language skills. She continued her studies at the French school of Rhode St. Genese.
She explored beyond the expat community and built a remarkable friendship with a Belgian neighbor who had participated in the Belgian Resistance during WWII notably hiding downed Allied pilots in the leafy greens of her potato patch which connected Nancy’s home to hers. Nancy later transformed the inspiration of this friendship and tales of human compassion, defiance, and bravery into her memoir “Three Kisses for Margaret” while earning a MFA from Wilkes University.
Stateside once again, Nancy sought creative outlets to continue her love of learning. As they moved many times to the rhythm of Bill’s career, Nancy studied horticulture, developed a career in real estate, and expertly cooked her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” to the delight of anyone invited to share her table including her beloved golden retriever Iris who had a penchant for sauteed chicken livers. Nancy’s quest for knowledge demanded a bold pursuit equal to her pioneering spirit, and at the age of 33 she was one of select few women to enter and graduate from Washington University School of Law; she practiced family law in Missouri and New York.
Through Nancy and Bill’s shared sense of adventure and love of nature, they created a community for themselves in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Some years this was a brief winter interlude, but ultimately it was the community they resided in and cherished. Nancy built lasting friendships with an intimate group of women who shared her love of reading, cooking, studying French, skiing, snowshoeing, summer music festivals, and serving their community. The immense natural beauty of the area informed her eloquent descriptions of elk migrations, bald eagles, wild horses, and a neighboring den of newborn foxes. The insular snowbound hours were a companion to her love of observing nature, reading and exploring the quiet, quotidian moments of life as expressed in one of her favorite authors Alice Munro, as well as a serious pursuit of her Boyer family genealogy culminating in her membership in the DAR.
Nancy was simply a beautiful person in every way. Beautiful. A nurturing and generous person, she cherished her family. The youngest of three children, she was the force to bring the generations together. She and Bill created a peaceful enclave at Oquaga Lake in New York and whether it was waterskiing, fishing, canoeing, and dog walks or a Thanksgiving feast in the great hall, she opened her heart and home to her family. She mentored and underwrote many a dream or seemingly insurmountable challenge for the younger generation who endearingly called her Tante, as she had called her own German great aunts. Nancy mothered her family in homage to her beloved mother Bunny Boyer who inspired Nancy’s appreciation for culture, education, and community service.
Nancy leaves us with many fond and loving memories. God Bless.
A mass of Christian burial for Nancy will be held at 11:30 A.M. on Saturday, February 27, 2021 in St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church, 1300 Bridge St., New Cumberland, PA, with Rev. William Barbee as Celebrant. A viewing will be held on Saturday, from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. in the Myers-Baker Funeral Home, 1903 Market St. Camp Hill. Immediately following the Mass, burial will be held in Rolling Green Cemetery, Camp Hill.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Audubon Society, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, PA 17110, https://www.audubon.org