Obituary of Nancy Ann Larson

Nancy Ann Larson passed away at the age of 72 to join the choirs of angels on October 29, 2020 after a short yet devastating struggle with brain cancer. Her family saw her off, fulfilling her wish to pass peacefully at home with her family by her side.Born to Franklin and Emily Granger in a hospital in Chicago, Illinois on May 1, 1948, Nancy grew up in Brookfield, Illinois where she dreamt of becoming a teacher and visiting Disneyland. On a fateful day in 1964, a mutual friend introduced Nancy to her future husband, Gerald, after she finished work at Burger King. So swept away were they by their mutual chemistry that they started dating not long after. She agreed to a first "double date" at the Chicago Auto Show, something which still sends their daughter into a fit of giggles, and the rest was history.In 1966, Nancy graduated with honors from Riverside Brookfield High School. She came out to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder, where Gerald was already attending college. Lovebirds that they were, they tied the knot before graduating, having a lovely ceremony at St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church in La Grange Park, Illinois. They then returned to Colorado to finish their education, and Nancy earned her bachelor's degree in education in 1970. She and Gerald settled down in Colorado Springs as they fell into the spell of its beauty.Immediately after graduation, Nancy and Gerald made a trip to California, where her dream to visit Disneyland was fulfilled. It was the first of many trips to the Magic Kingdom over her lifetime, many of which were spent with her whole family, ensuring that her children were able to experience what she had dreamed about for so many years.Shortly after that, Nancy's dream to teach also came to fruition when she first started out at a one-room schoolhouse (well, Gerald explains semantically that it had multiple rooms) in Hanover as a teacher's aide for the class of first through fourth graders in 1971. She took over as the official teacher of that class from 1972 to 1977 after which she chose to take a break from teaching. Or so she said, but as was so obvious throughout her life, she could never escape her true love for the profession. Even on her so-called break, she worked at Stretch and Sew Fabrics, teaching adult sewing classes from 1977 to 1978. Not long after that, she was back to full-time teaching at Pauline Memorial Catholic School, now St. Paul's Catholic School. She wrangled first graders through all subjects there except music and P.E. from 1979 to 1981. Nancy decided to leave teaching for a time as she welcomed her first child, Jeremy, in 1981. Nancy took a job with Service Merchandise as a senior inventory control clerk from 1985 to 1988. For once, it had absolutely nothing to do with teaching, but it was not fated to last. Nancy once again felt education calling her, and she returned to Pauline Memorial in 1988 where she taught second graders all the way until 2001 when she left to take care of her elderly mother. Along the way, she welcomed a second child, Brittany, in 1992. Still wanting to keep her connection to her passion and the children she adored, she joined the District 11 school system as a substitute teacher, still powerless to resist that siren's call until she finally retired in April 2019.After retirement, Nancy could most often be found attending any of the many masses and adorations at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church. There, she also enjoyed attending the adult religion education classes, further deepening her faith and her relationship with God.Nancy always loved to be involved with her local community. She worked as the contract admin for her neighborhood's homeowners association from 2001 until 2010 and continued to be a respected member in the community following that. The neighbors also fondly remember her for her love of sports. Nancy's cheers and shouts heard around the world informed all nearby whenever there was a sports game on TV, as well as which team was winning. Of course, that was limited to the Broncos, Avalanche, Rockies, Nuggets, Golden State, Air Force Academy, and the Colorado Buffaloes. Nancy's family and friends often agreed that the teams could hear her support even if she wasn't at the field.Nancy was an incredibly giving woman, but when it came to her family, she always wanted her gifts to be a surprise. Any time they asked her for something, she would love to say no before secretly finding the gift. She loved her granddaughter, �owyn, and loved to take her shopping for clothes and to a number of attractions around the state. She wanted all of her family to feel safe and loved. However, Nancy never stopped at just her family. Family, God, and friends were the centers of Nancy's life. She never let an opportunity pass to donate to her church's community or innumerable other charities, buy and wrap gifts to donate to Toys for Tots, or even welcome people into her home on Christmas when they had nowhere else to go. Every year, she would bake hundreds of Christmas cookies to hand out to family, friends, and neighbors. Cooking, baking, and reading books from a plethora of genres were some of her greatest passions.Nancy loved unfailingly. With her meticulous organizational skills, she kept track of the birthdays and death anniversaries of everyone near and far. She never missed an anniversary, sending out so many cards each year that she could single-handedly keep the card store in business. No one who knew her was ever at risk for feeling like a major life event would pass by unnoticed. Her loving spirit will never be in doubt.Nancy is survived by her husband, Gerald "Jerry" Larson; son, Jeremy Larson; daughter, Brittany Larson; granddaughter, �owyn Larson; and sister, Shirley (Granger) Jones.Rosary, 10:00AM, followed by a Memorial Mass, 11:00AM, Wednesday, November 11, 2020, St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, 6455 Brook Park Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80918. The service will be streamed live, the link to watch Nancy's Memorial Mass is located on her Tribute Wall on The Springs Funeral Services website.Inurnment, Mount St. Francis Columbarium, 7665 Assisi Heights, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919. Events Memorial Mass Wednesday, November 11, 2020 11:00AM St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church 6455 Brook Park Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80918 Phone: 719-328-1793 Rosary Wednesday, November 11, 2020 10:00AM St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church 6455 Brook Park Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80918 Phone: 719-328-1793 Final Resting Place Mount Saint Francis Columbarium 7665 Assisi Heights Colorado Springs, CO 80919