Obituary of Nancy Slawson

Passed away in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on Saturday, December 19, 2020 at the age of 88. If you had asked young Nancy what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have told you a race car driver or a jet test pilot. While Nancy did not obtain those goals, she carried that spirit of adventure throughout her life along with a quick smile and a kind word. Predeceased by her beloved husband Bill. Cherished mother of Bob Slawson, Richard Slawson (Karen), Diane (Ehsan) Mohammadi and foster daughter, Linda Van Dorn. Dear grandma of Nathan (Amy) and Andrew Slawson; Carl (Brigitte), Marc, Aron, and Kate Mohammadi. Special sister of Phil Spjut (Maida). Nancy was born on December 10, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Swen and Linnea (Jacobson) Spjut. She was the youngest of five brothers and sisters who loved and gently spoiled her. After graduating from Granite High in 1951, she took her first adventure, traveling to Chicago to live with her brother Phil and his wife Maida. Returning to Salt Lake, she enrolled in the University of Utah. There, while working in the Geology Department, she met and fell in love with William Francis Slawson. Nancy and Bill were married in Salt Lake City on June 9, 1956. While there Nancy helped Bill earn his Ph.D. by typing his dissertation by hand. Nancy crisscrossed the continent with Bill and her growing family, first to Toronto, Ontario, and then settling in Vancouver, British Columbia where Bill was a professor of Geophysics. Their family grew at each point, Bob was born in Salt Lake, Richard in Toronto, and Diane in Vancouver. While raising her family, Nancy was active in the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints where she played the organ at services. She was a regular bridge player at the Women’s Faculty club and was an avid knitter making sweaters for her and her extended family. Later she took courses in economics and computer programming. She worked as an income tax preparer, first at H&R Block and then at her own business. She traveled the world with Bill on sabbaticals: first to South Africa, then California, and finally island hopping across the Pacific to New Zealand. After Bill retired in 1992, they bought a truck and RV trailer and toured the US and Canada, visiting friends and family along the way. They made their winter home in Vancouver and their summer home in their cabin on the shores of Lake Michigan. During this time, Nancy realized her long held dream of visiting Antarctica with Bill. In 2001, Bill was diagnosed with myelodysplasia, a rare blood disorder, and he and Nancy moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario close to Diane and her family. Bill passed away nine months later. Nancy was active in her new home, playing bridge at the Senior Center and, keeping her extended family together through phone calls, e-mail, video chats and family reunions. The family would like to thank the medical staff at the Sault Area Hospital for the excellent care and friendly ambience they provided Nancy in her last illness. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation.