Nancy Saxton Schowalter

Nancy Saxton Schowalter, age 89, was born in Canton, Pennsylvania on a dairy farm to teachers Luther VanHorn and Florence Brooks Saxton along with her two older brothers Ronald and Robert Saxton. Her early years on the farm instilled in her a strong work ethic, quiet strength, and a grace that met others without judgment. Nancy graduated from Ithaca College in New York, and with her beautiful soprano voice starred in many musicals, such as Annie in Annie Get Your Gun, reflecting her lifelong love of music and the arts. As a young woman she traveled widely across the United States on various adventures with her friends, well ahead of her time before settling to teach elementary school in Cocoa Beach, Florida. She met and married Robert Peter Schowalter, who preceded her in death, and together they had four children born in Orlando, Florida. They later made their home in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she dedicated more than 25 years to teaching elementary school at Lenoir City Elementary School. She was deeply loved by her students and cherished the lifelong friendships she formed with a wonderful and oh so funny group of teachers she worked alongside. Nancy’s soft, kind nature and sense of humor drew people to her, and she had a lengthy network of deep, lasting friendships throughout her life.

After retirement, Nancy picked up her love of travel by joining Friendship Force and enjoyed multiple overseas adventures (her favorite cities being Florence, Kyiv, Prague), hosting families and meeting new people, and learning about different cultures. She was fiercely independent and was always up for new experiences and signing up for food or art classes and “ramming around” to the local markets, art shows and musicals. She was a long-term member of Knoxville Messiah Lutheran and enjoyed her volunteering duties and friendships. She especially enjoyed nurturing her children and adored grandchildren. Nancy’s unwavering commitment to motherhood was deeply felt by her children – she was patient, kind, thoughtful, giving, loving, selfless and an angel on earth for them to turn to throughout their lives. In her later years, Nancy resided at Canterfield Assisted Living in Brentwood, where she was lovingly cared for during the last two years of her life.

She is survived by her children:

Mark Saxton Schowalter and his wife Penny, and granddaughter Caitlin; Scott Christian Schowalter; Connie Glover and her husband Chuck, and daughters Faith, Chloe, and Ella; Amy Roadman and her husband Steve, and children Landon and Rilynn.

Nancy’s legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched with her students, extended family with cousins, nieces and nephews and she will be deeply missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in her final resting place in the picturesque mountains of Highlands, NC where family has gathered since the 1960s. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Messiah Lutheran Church in Knoxville, TN.