Sister Nancy Kay Nally, 84, of Scott Twp., died at home Nov. 29. Nancy Nally was born in Watseka, Illinois, to Edward James Nally and Edith Marie (Sapp) Nally. Nancy was the eldest of three daughters, graduated from East Aurora High School in Illinois in 1956 and afterwards completed nursing school in 1959. She entered the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Joliet and exited from formal religious life in the 1960s. She went on to a BS in nursing from St. Louis University and an MS in psychiatric nursing from SUNY at Buffalo. She was the first clinical nurse specialist hired by the State Mental Hospital in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and became an assistant professor and clinical nurse specialist at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. Nancy spent several years in the field of home health nursing and worked in state and local psychiatric clinical settings. She moved to Pennsylvania to assist in the BSN program at Bloomsburg University. She then pursued a Master of Fine Arts at Marywood University and enjoyed working in the creative arts. In July of 2014, after many years of discernment, Nancy made perpetual profession as a canonical hermit in the Diocese of Scranton. During this same period, she began volunteering to assist the Passionist nuns at St. Gabriel's Monastery in Clarks Summit. This eventually led to full-time employment as a cook and bread maker for the nuns and those making retreat at the monastery. Sister Nancy is survived by her two sisters, Debra Ann Nally and Rebecca Lynn (Jeff Cooper) Buckley; nieces, Shelly Nally, Staci (Ron O'Leary) Renner/Nally, Debra K. (Josh Guthrie) Nally; grandnieces and grandnephews, Ivy Ann Hazleton, Alex Enciso Nally, Nicholas Enciso Nally, Oliver Bianco-Nally and Ariana Giresi-Nally. Sister Nancy's Catholic faith was a strong and sustaining feature of her life's journey. A funeral service will be held at St. Ann's Basilica on Saturday at 11 a.m. Friends and family may call starting at 10 a.m. in the church. Arrangements by Thomas J. Hughes Funeral Home Inc.

Visitation

Funeral Services