Nancy Mitchell Obituary

Nancy Sue Mitchell, 79, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away Monday, February 27, 2023 at Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living in Lawrence. Nancy was diagnosed with incurable cancer in January 2022. During the past year, she courageously endured months of treatment and a final month on hospice without a single complaint. She died as she lived, full of grace and surrounded by love.

Nancy was born on August 10, 1943, in Salina, Kansas the daughter of Leroy and Ruby (Montgomery) Fink. She grew up in Salina and attended Salina High Central. Nancy received a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Kansas. While attending KU, she fell in love with her sister's boyfriend's brother Timothy Frank Mitchell. The Mitchell brothers, Tim, Breon and John, also from Salina were quite the "catch." Tim and Nancy wed on May 21, 1966 in Salina, Kansas. They enjoyed 27 years of marriage until Tim's death from Leukemia on August 17, 1993.

Nancy loved to travel and help others fulfill their dreams of international travel and education. She worked at the KU Office of Study Abroad as a Program Director for 15 years and then for Butler University promoting their study abroad programs. Nancy happily retired after her first grandchild was born in 2007.

Nancy's greatest joy was spending time with her family. She loved art, music, reading and looked forward to any opportunity to dress-up in her favorite outfits and sparkling jewelry.

Survivors include her daughters Kristina Walker and Sarah Sypher, her sons-in law Scott Walker and Michael Sypher, her granddaughters Ruby and Charlotte Walker, her sister Lynda and brother-in-law Breon Mitchell of Bloomington, Indiana, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law John and Ann Mitchell of Rochester, Minnesota, and her sister Rita Fink. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brothers Robert Fink and Patrick Fink, and her beloved niece Vesta Hartman Garcia.

Her family thanks and acknowledges Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living and Visiting Nurses Association for their compassion and loving care for Nancy during her time in hospice, especially her nurse Andy Lewis and social worker Mickey Dick.

To honor Nancy, the family suggests memorial contributions to Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association or The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.

Nancy will be laid to rest next to her husband at a private graveside service at Grand Center Cemetery in Waldo, Kansas. A celebration of Nancy's life is planned for summer 2023.

To post a condolence please visit warrenmcelwain.com.