Nancy T. Magoon

Nancy was born May 15, 1916 in Ridgeville, Manitoba, Canada. Nancy's parents both immigrated to Canada from Austria. All of the ten brothers and sisters were given Ukrainian names, Nancy's given name is Nastyuna. The teacher at the one room school house gave all the children English names and Nancy was then called Nellie. She didn't like it much and later she changed it to Nancy. Nancy's dad was a prosperous wheat farmer and while the sons were given a farm of their own, the girls were not. Nancy left home when she was 16 with $5 in her pocket and by the time she was 23 she had made her way to Los Angeles. She joined her sister Annabel there and worked in her restaurant, Sharkey's. Nancy met George in 1947 or 1948 and they were married within a month and he moved her to Honolulu. Nancy embraced life in the islands and raised three children. She was a full-time Mom and only later went back to work. She enjoyed sewing and made bikini's for all her daughters friends. One thing she never tired of was the family home, Mahaiula on the Big Island. It was a far cry from life on the prairie but Nancy loved the beach. Nancy was always happiest with a baby on her lap and she had a hand in raising all of the grandchildren and great grandchildren! Nancy lived at her beloved home in Nuuanu and on her own until she was 94 years old and she could still beat you at gin rummy at 96! A remarkable feat. When she was once asked her secret to longevity, she said, "I like men"! And she did, she was quite a flirt and she did love to flirt! Nancy was an inspiring person. We will all miss her. If everyone had her zest for life they'd be lucky!