Nancy Lynn Manheimer

The world has lost a beautiful soul. Nancy Manheimer was born in Bremerton Washington on June 4, 1959. She left us far to soon, September 25, 2016. She is survived by her husband Doug Manheimer, one sister, two brothers, six "in-law" siblings, eight nephews and nieces, eleven grand nephews and nieces, too many close friends to count and three very spoiled chickens!

Letter from Nancy

Welcome to my Family and Friends. I have had the pleasure of planning my own funeral. Seriously it’s been fun and I recommend it. Doing so makes you sit down and think about all the wonderful things that have happened in your life. To ask yourself is there anything I forgot to say to anyone?

I lived such a happy and blessed life. I came from what some would call a broken home, but I never thought of it that way. My Mother, my step Father, my Father, my step Mothers and all my Grandparents all got along. I had a Father and a Dad.

I have 3 siblings that I love dearly and they have always loved me back. I remember the first time someone told me that Jerry was my step brother, I didn’t believe them, and quickly dismissed it. Jerry is my brother, end of story.

My Grandparents lived next door. How lucky is that? I could hang out with them whenever I wanted. I was always welcome there and always loved. Grandma Grover taught me to crochet when I was 5 and Grandma Spear taught me to knit and much more.

I had cousins all over the place that have been in and out of my life and it was always a pleasure to catch up with again.

Spring Creek Road where Jerry and I grew up was a wonderful neighborhood with an enchanted woods and bogs and ponds and huckleberries and salmonberries. We knew our neighbors and all sledded together each winter with the snow. My childhood was a very happy one.

I was 15 years old when I met the love of my life. Doug and I have been joined at the hip over 40 years. No one could ask for a better husband, lover, and friend. He has supported me in all that I’ve done and shared all of the challenges in life, the good and the bad. If I could have stayed on this earth it would have been to stay by his side. He has been my husband and my captain.
Sherrie and Danny gave me 6 nieces and nephews and marrying Doug gave me two more 3 more siblings and 8 more nephews. Then came all the grand kids. You are our kids and we have always loved you.

Lifetime friendships or friendships of a lifetime. Ken and Deb, Larry and Karen, Dan and Mary we all started boating together and ended up sharing our lives together. We went on the adventure of a lifetime. It is said your Halcyon years are the happy golden prosperous years. In 1984 we bought a True North 34 cutter and named her Halcyon. She would be our home for 14 years and she would take us on a 6 year adventure in the South Pacific. In June of 1989 we quit work and sailed off into the sunset. We traveled to Mexico, French Polynesia, Cooks, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand three times, American Samoa, Western Samoa, and Kiritabi before heading back against the wind to the Puget Sound. When we left there was a list of places we wanted to see. Very soon we realized that it was the people that make the places. Our trip and our memories are all about the wonderful people we met along the way.

The same goes for work, it is the people that make anything in life special. Back in Puget Sound I ended up back at Kitsap Regional Library where I was blessed to work for nearly 30 years. The staff of KRL over the years is made up of the very best of Kitsap County. They love their jobs and they love serving their community. It is rewarding work and special group of people make it so. I was in the right place at the right time. I was in a Library system when they decided to go automated. I became a member of the original IT team. I studied and became a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and built our library’s Active Directory network. I became a System Administrator on a string of Integrated Library Systems. For the past 6 years I’ve been the IT Manager for the best group of IT geeks a girl could ask for. I never felt like they worked for me, but rather I worked for them. I am proud of the role I played at KRL and feel blessed to have been a part of the Kitsap Regional Library and it’s family.

Finding out you have cancer, finding out it is not responding to treatment, finding out that the cancer is winning does many things to your outlook on life. You get mad, you get sad and then if you choose to, you begin to really appreciate life. You realize you can live with cancer, and you do. I have not wasted one single day since I’ve been diagnosed. I have found a way to enjoy every day given me.

I have reflected on everything that is good in my life, which is all of you here today and many more too. I wanted to spend time with each and every one of you and give you at least one more hug. I wanted you to know that what made Nancy’s life was all of the wonderful people in it.

Of course I’ve prepared a slide show, Nancy and you over the years.

Good bye. Love each other.