Nancy Sue Mitchell

Nancy Sue Mitchell, 79, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away Monday, February 27, 2023 at Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living in Lawrence.  Nancy was diagnosed with incurable cancer in January 2022.  During the past year, she courageously endured months of treatment and a final month on hospice without a single complaint.  She died as she lived, full of grace and surrounded by love.  

Nancy was born on August 10, 1943, in Salina, Kansas the daughter of Leroy and Ruby (Montgomery) Fink. She grew up in Salina and attended Salina High Central. Nancy received a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Kansas.  While attending KU, she fell in love with her sister’s boyfriend’s brother Timothy Frank Mitchell.  The Mitchell brothers, Tim, Breon and John, also from Salina were quite the “catch.”  Tim and Nancy wed on May 21, 1966 in Salina, Kansas. They enjoyed 27 years of marriage until Tim’s death from Leukemia on August 17, 1993.

Nancy loved to travel and help others fulfill their dreams of international travel and education.  She worked at the KU Office of Study Abroad as a Program Director for 15 years and then for Butler University promoting their study abroad programs.  Nancy happily retired after her first grandchild was born in 2007.

Nancy’s greatest joy was spending time with her family.  She loved art, music, reading and looked forward to any opportunity to dress-up in her favorite outfits and sparkling jewelry.

Survivors include her daughters Kristina Walker and Sarah Sypher, her sons-in law Scott Walker and Michael Sypher, her granddaughters Ruby and Charlotte Walker, her sister Lynda and brother-in-law Breon Mitchell of Bloomington, Indiana, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law John and Ann Mitchell of Rochester, Minnesota, and her sister Rita Fink.  She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brothers Robert Fink and Patrick Fink, and her beloved niece Vesta Hartman Garcia.

Her family thanks and acknowledges Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living and Visiting Nurses Association for their compassion and loving care for Nancy during her time in hospice, especially her nurse Andy Lewis and social worker Mickey Dick.   

To honor Nancy, the family suggests memorial contributions to Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association and The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044. 

Nancy will be laid to rest next to her husband at a private graveside service at Grand Center Cemetery in Waldo, Kansas.  A celebration of Nancy’s life is planned for summer 2023.

12 Condolences

  1. Carol Dobbins on March 1, 2023 at 9:15 am

    Wow. This is a beauty of a picture. I’ve gotten to know Nancy these past 10 years. We were neighbors. She was a bright spot in my life …. She will be so missed. 💕💕💕💕



  2. Mary Rochelle on March 2, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    I got to know Nancy the past two years as a friend and neighbor. I will miss our lengthy phone calls and discussions filled with her humor and advice.



  3. Jackie Bogner on March 4, 2023 at 12:15 pm

    What a lovely woman. Nancy was a welcome addition to our Last Wednesday Book Club. I was honored to know her and to call her a friend.



  4. Mary (Butch) Stuckey on March 4, 2023 at 2:17 pm

    Nancy was such a happy, sharing, and all around wonderful friend. We both moved to Crossgate at almost the same time. She would often stop by a for a chat or a walk. She shared time with family and friends with me, and I can’t think of a time shared that wasn’t wonderful. I will so miss her.



  5. Cindy Novelo on March 4, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    In my heart forever and ever. Love you, Dear Friend.



  6. Megan Goold on March 5, 2023 at 6:36 am

    There’s no one like Nancy – wonderful woman through & through. My heart aches with this loss, and yet, I am filled with gratitude that our paths crossed and I could share a friendship with her.



  7. Sandy Praeger on March 5, 2023 at 12:50 pm

    Where to begin…so much to say. Nancy was a wonderful friend, who, with her daughters, Kristina and Sarah, became like extended family over the years. She was such a sweet, loving person with the most infectious smile and warm personality. Her daughters and our daughter, Gretchen, have such great friendships that have grown with the years as they have married and whose children have become friends. Nancy will live on through those friendships and her smile will be reflected in the smiles of friendship whenever they are together.



  8. Rick Mitchell on March 6, 2023 at 3:45 pm

    Sending my condolences to Nancy’s family and the many friends who will miss her. She was beautiful, inside and out. Her grace over the past fourteen months was amazing to behold.



  9. Maria Butler on March 6, 2023 at 5:41 pm

    Dear Kristina,
    I loved your mom and I am sad to hear of her passing. You are in my thoughts.



  10. Bryan Wyatt on March 9, 2023 at 5:34 am

    Sorry to hear of Nancy’s passing. She was a former neighbor, friend. I also used to service her HVAC on her homes through the years. Her elegance and grace is what I’ll miss the most. Rest easy my friend.



  11. Margaret Marshall on May 1, 2023 at 6:25 pm

    So very sorry to hear of Nancy’s passing. She was my cousin. I will miss her emails about Montgomery ancestry, our families and our daily lives. She will be remembered in my prayers.



  12. Elizabeth Kurata on June 6, 2023 at 10:14 am

    Gosh, I just saw this about Nancy. I did not know her very well, but her friendly smile & warmth really shined through to everyone who met her. You could just see what a beautiful person she was, inside and out. When I read of how she died with such grace & dignity, I am inspired to be like her. The world lost a great soul.



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