Nancy Alice Graham, age 87, went to her eternal resting home in Heaven on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 after sleeping peacefully for a brief time at Saint Luke's Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri. Nancy was born to George and Nona (Payne) Helfrecht on May 3, 1936 in Springfield, MO.  She was raised in Springfield, MO and graduated from Central High School in 1954. Nancy met and fell in love with the love of her life, James (Jim) Arthur Graham. They were united in marriage on April 1, 1956 in Springfield, MO. The couple were blessed with 2 daughters, Luanne and Lisa.

Nancy Graham's life was a life well-lived. She was active in the St. John's United Church of Christ during the 84 years she lived in Springfield, prior to moving to Kansas City to be closer to her daughters and grandkids. She showed her love, faith in God, and servant's heart in many different ways throughout her professional and personal life. Nancy lived a long time after the love of her life, Jim Graham, passed in November of 1992.  She worked hard at restarting her life and doing things that brought her joy throughout the days after Jim's passing.

Professionally, Nancy worked for many decades at Pediatric Associates in Springfield, MO. She found great joy in being the nursing assistant for the doctors in that group, especially Drs. Snyder and Hearty.  She was devoted to her patients and their families and tended to many of them from birth into their young adult lives. Nancy passed on her years of childhood illness knowledge to her daughter and nieces and nephews, serving up words of wisdom as they worried over their own children when they were sick. Beyond her work at the clinic, Nancy also enjoyed ushering at the Hall with her sister, Suzanne Lindsey, and having the benefit of watching the many traveling off-Broadway productions and concerts that came to Springfield.  She loved a good performance and couldn't wait to share her excitement for what she'd seen with her friends and family.

In her personal life, Nancy had many hobbies she enjoyed which included traveling, cooking, baking, gardening, quilting, and crocheting. Nancy had always dreamed of traveling and she was lucky to have the opportunity to see many beautiful sights. She traveled with her sister, church friends, and new friends she meant on touring company trips. She was an avid videographer and she took many videos, later making them into DVDs. Nancy watched them up until the time of her passing, reminiscing over wonderful times and encouraging everyone to travel while their "knees still worked!"

Nancy was famous for her spaghetti and meatballs, chili, and baked goods. She made paper and digital cookbooks for wedding and graduation gifts, passing on her favorite recipes she had collected and perfected over the years. She was famous for her muffins, cupcakes, brownies, lemon bars, sweet breads, cookies and pies. She loved making goodies and sharing them with family, friends and co-workers.

Nancy loved to garden and she had many flowerbeds in her yard over the years.  She loved sharing the seeds of the wildflowers and poppies with family and friends to spread beauty and sunshine to others. She often picked whatever was in bloom to display a bouquet in her house, share with friends or take to Kansas City for her daughters and grandkids.  She also grew a vegetable garden each year and she continued to "patio garden" after moving in 2021 to her little apartment in Kansas City, MO.

Nancy learned to quilt, knit and crochet at an early age and her life was filled with making many heirloom treasures which she shared with family and friends in her later years. A trip to her house often included looking through the quilts, pillows and afghans and choosing the one you wanted to take home to be your own. She crocheted many afghans for special occasions such as baby showers and within the last year, made an afghan for the birth of her great nephew's daughter and within the final months before her passing, crocheted a miniature one for her granddog, Penny.

Above everything she loved, Nancy's favorite thing was being a Nana to Tyler and Morgan. She waited a long time to be a grandmother and so she was more than ready for this new role. Every trip to Nana's meant everyone's favorite treats would be waiting when you walked in the door.  Snails, chocolate chip cookies, surprise mini cupcakes, apple or banana muffins, and apple, blackberry or pecan pie. Summers included trips to Silver Dollar City, staying for a week at "Nana Camp" with ice skating, bare feet stuck in cool fountains, sleeping in Nana's bed and hearing her scary stories before falling asleep, excursions to Bass Pro to look at the fish, splitting the "candy garden" money from the Hershey's tin she always kept in her car, learning to drive in the local cemetery, and eating out at your favorite Springfield restaurants.

She loved making trips to Kansas City to attend special school and recognition programs for Tyler and Morgan, and to watch them perform in concerts, marching band, and theater productions. Each time, a visit from Nana always included her bringing over her baked goods, the "candy garden" money tin to split the change, and a toy for the granddog. She loved displaying pottery and graphic designs made by Tyler and she loved making personalized coffee mugs with pictures from all of Morgan's musical shows. She was so very proud of her grandkids and attending their college graduations and seeing them move into their adult lives was a dream realized.

One of the greatest gifts Nancy passed on was her belief and faith in God. Her bible was worn to pieces from daily use, with notes and dates reflecting times in her life when she turned to God and scriptures to help her through life's challenges. In all things, she put her hope and trust in God - and these beliefs of living a life full of hope, faith, and love - along with our memories, will carry us through until we see her again.

Nancy was preceded in death by her spouse, Jim Graham; parents, George and Nona Helfrecht; sisters, Jean Panhorst, Dorothy Hale, and Suzanne Lindsey; and brother, George (Jim) Helfrecht. She is survived by her daughter, Luanne Graham; daughter, Lisa Walker and her husband, Larry Walker; and grandchildren Tyler and Morgan.

A visitation for Nancy will be held on Friday, April 12th, 2024 from 5-7 pm at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole, Springfield, MO 65804.  Graveside Service for Nancy will be held on Saturday, April 13th, 2024 at 1:00 pm at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 3600 N National Ave, Springfield, MO 65803.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in Nancy's memory to Grandview United Methodist Church, 12613 Grandview Road, Grandview, MO 64030.

The family would like to send a special thank you to all the healthcare staff at Saint Luke's East Hospital, Medical Group, and Hospice House for their special care given to Nancy.