Virginia Anne Nance

Virginia Anne Mumford Nance, age 85, of Fort Wayne, IN passed away at 6:50 pm Sunday, March 8, 2020 at Kingston Care Center on Washington Center Road. Born on June 27, 1934 in Raleigh, NC, she was the daughter of Carey Gardner Mumford and Fannie Cleone (Cooper) Mumford.

Virginia graduated from Needham Broughton High School, Raleigh, NC, with the Class of 1951. She attended Mars Hill College, Meredith College, earning her Bachelor's Degree, and later at the College of William and Mary where she earned her Master's Degree in Education. On July 8, 1956 she married Robert Lloyd Nance at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC.

Virginia Nance began her career in Statesville, NC, where she worked before accepting a position in the Communication Department for Home Economics at Raleigh North Carolina State University. She then accepted a position at Winthrop College, Rockhill, SC then later moving onto Covington, VA and then back to Charlotte, NC. Eventually, Virginia and family moved to Williamsburg, VA where she served for 25 years as a Home Extension Agent for the US Agricultural Department. She became a self-employed owner of several businesses, applying her education background as a health educator as the owner of a Diet Center, then later as a counted cross-stitch designer. She also worked for 5 years for Sentara Health Network before retiring to pursue her passion for dichroic glass and jewelry making. In 2005, she moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to be close to her son Robert.

While in Virginia, she was a member of Williamsburg Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir. In Fort Wayne, she was a member of Plymouth Congregational Church UCC, participating as a member of the choir and the Knit & Kibitz Group. She was an active member of the Fort Wayne Artist Guild, and avid supporter of Heartland Sings, Artlink, and the FW Museum of Art.

Survivors include her son Robert Lloyd Nance, Jr. of Fort Wayne, IN; grandsons, Timothy Olin and James Olin, both of Virginia; and sister, Nancy Pencsak of Little Elm, TX. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Robert Lloyd Nance, daughter, Patti Louisa Nance, son, Allen Howard Nance, and brother, Carey Gardner Mumford, Jr.

A memorial service for Virginia will be held at a later date at Plymouth Congregational Church, 501 West Berry Street, Fort Wayne. Gifts in memory of Virginia to Heartland Sings, Fort Wayne, or the music ministry at Plymouth Congregational Church, Fort Wayne. Arrangements by DeMoney-Grimes Funeral Home 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City, IN. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send family condolences online.