Nancy Rose Zorn

Nancy O’Neal was born May 30, 1933 in Carlisle, Indiana. The youngest of five siblings in a military family, she lived overseas much of her life, meeting her future husband, the late William Zorn, in Okinawa. They were married in France on July 3, 1953, enjoying a romantic European honeymoon on a shoestring budget! Bill had joined the Air Force upon high school graduation, so the married couple, and later as young parents, lived in many interesting locations, including Germany, Argentina, and Panama. They were also able to travel extensively, often with other family members, in the last couple of decades.

The Zorns moved to Oklahoma in 1974 for “Bill” to pursue a civilian career in aviation. Nancy was a dedicated teacher and scholar at O.U. while she finished her education in English Literature. She later taught English, and sometimes Spanish, in a number of districts in Oklahoma. She was a great Sunday school teacher, and also became a committed political activist in environmental and progressive causes in Oklahoma later in her life. Heartfelt generosity was one of her enduring attributes.

Nancy was fond of saying that she had 18 direct descendants and many spice – her word for spouses; wordplay was a thing around her household! She is survived by her daughter Leslie and Mike McPheeters of Phoenix, Arizona, and their two sons and two grandsons. Next is Eric Zorn and his wife Sandy of Memphis, Tennessee, who have four children and two granddaughters. Evan Zorn and his wife Kris live in Bartlesville, OK and have two sons. Laura Lisenbee, the youngest, lives in Dallas, TX with her husband Gregg and their two sons.

Our loving mother had told us all that she enjoyed a long and wonderful life, and that she was ready for the next phase. We even had a 25-member family reunion in June to show her our love.

A memorial service for Nancy Zorn is taking place at Mayflower Congregational Church, 3901 NW 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Memorial Fund of Mayflower.

Nancy was always spiritual, and a dedicated church member. Even though we say she is gone, surely there are other voices ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”