Presidents Message for October 2023
It is difficult to say goodbye to another one of our Crankin A members. On Sunday 10/29/23 we lost Nancy Clark. Although she is no longer physically with us, she will be treasured forever in our hearts with fond memories. Our club is filled with sadness with the loss of a good friend.
I met Nancy when my Fred and I went to our first breakfast meeting at the Wormburners restaurant. We were new to the club and were introduced to the members who were there. I sat beside Nancy, and she filled me in on a lot of the club details. First of importance – what was good on the menu and what not to order! If my memory is correct, she didn’t have very positive reviews of the food. But she was honest, and I liked that. For most of the meetings I ended up sitting next to her and made sure to heed her advice when ordering breakfast. Oh, and the ladies sat together, and the guys sat with each other!
I realized from the beginning if I needed advice Nancy was the person to ask and that she would be the perfect mentor for helping us blend into the club. I just knew that I could learn a lot from her, we all could. She had so much knowledge and was willing to share her experiences. From her encounters living overseas and other lifetime adventures, she could talk about everything so effortlessly. It was always a pleasure to listen to her stories.
Nancy was our club parliamentarian. She wrote our original club By-Laws and was proficient in adhering to Roberts Rules of Order. Recently she amended the By-Laws when we applied for our 501 (C) (3). She was always willing to help when she could. She was an essential member of our club and her contributions were boundless.
Last year in February 2022 we had our monthly meeting at the shop of James and Lori Foresman. It was only my second meeting presiding as president. Nancy was sitting right there in the front watching and listening to every word. I kept looking to her for approval! At one point she raised her hand to speak, and I got a bit nervous. What was on her mind. I was pleasantly surprised when she suggested we begin a ‘Ladies Day’ meeting on the 1st Tuesday of each month at her home. And that is how those meetings began. We have had such fun at those meetings (along with delicious baked goods) and we can thank Nancy for getting the ladies together once again. We are planning to keep the tradition going in Nancy’s honor.
We will miss her dearly. May God soothe the pain of her family, the Crankin A’s and her friends. For all the joy Nancy gave, may she rest peacefully. Thank you, Nancy, for everything you ever did. You will forever remain in our thoughts and hearts.
Your presence we miss, your memory we treasure, loving you always, forgetting you never.