Nancy was born and raised in Hardin County as a military child. She worked for the U.S. Army Dental Corps and the U.S. Postal service at Fort Knox, KY. Nancy retired in 2015 to assist with raising her grandchildren and travel with family as often as possible. Throughout her life, she was always involved with animals. From backyard chickens to multiple house pets, she nurtured and cared for them all. Her husband Mark received many calls from her that began with: “Hi honey, I am at the Fort Knox Animal Shelter and..”. Each time, he would say NO, but against his best pleas, a new pet would come home. Her most treasured pets were the ones with wings. She had a gift with birds in general. She had no fear when meeting a bird for the first time and within minutes, had them eating out of her hand and yes, her mouth. She bred love birds, raised cockatiels, a Macaw, parakeets, a cockatoo, canaries and finches. On her honeymoon, she spent 3 hours talking and petting the birds at Busch Gardens, Tampa. While in Aruba, she befriended an Iguana, named him Hershel and shared her fruit plates with him each day when he returned for breakfast. Nancy has a soft spot for homeless pets and had been volunteering with the local Hardin County Shelter collecting old towels and wish list items with the goal of giving much of her spare time to the shelter. Additionally, she volunteered with Kentucky Pets Alive a 501c(3) organization helping to fulfill their mission of “Every Life Matters”. Nancy was planning to continue her preretirement goal of opening her home to foster shelter animals and use her gift of socializing animals regardless of their situation and special needs. She was musing about starting a business helping pet parents with end-of-life situations. Her idea was to either drive the parent to the veterinarian office and offer her support with tough decisions or take the pet on behalf of the parent to soften the pain of their loss. Unfortunately, Nancy became sick, entered the hospital and passed away unexpectantly, leaving her goals and ideas unfulfilled. Thanks to the caring and philanthropic nature of Dr. John Pendleton and the Friends of Hardin County Animal Shelter (FOHCAS), an endowment in Nancy’s honor has been organized. Donations will allow the Friends of Hardin County Animal Shelter to continue their support of homeless and abandoned animals and keep Nancy’s heartfelt love of animals alive.