July 13, 1939 – May 24, 2016

Nancy Jean (Wilson) Ellyson passed away at Villa Gardens Health Center in Pasadena on May 24 after a short illness. Nancy was born in Bakersfield on July 13, 1939 to John L. and Grace K. Wilson. The family, including her brother Robert, moved to La Crescenta in 1943.

Nancy attended Lincoln Elementary School, Clark Junior High and graduated from Glendale High School in 1957. She and her parents and brother traveled widely during her youth, including a trip around the world. She attended USC and graduated with a B.A. in 1961.

Following college, she lived briefly in Denver, Colorado where she met and married George “Mike” Ellyson in 1965. Their daughter, Melody, was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1968. Mike was in the Air Force, and the family moved across the United States throughout his career, living in California, Texas, Florida, Virginia and Colorado.

Following her divorce, Nancy returned to California where she went to work for Baxter Pharmaceuticals. She was transferred to their Chicago office for a few years and then returned to Southern California in 1991 upon the death of her mother. She then went to work for Warner Bros. in the Contracts Administration Dept. until her retirement.

A longtime, active member of AAUW (The American Association of University Women, Glendale Branch), Nancy was the branch president from 1994-95 and co-president from 2013-14. She also prepared the annual AAUW yearbook for many years. Additionally, Nancy was a member of the Baxter Alumni group and worked as treasurer and was an organizer for their annual luncheon gathering.

Her other hobbies included genealogy, gardening and visiting with family. She made annual trips to the Seattle area and Arizona at holidays.

Nancy was a loving mom and warm and supportive grandma to her granddaughter Grace. She is survived by her brother Robert, daughter and son-in-law Melody and Daniel Derrick, and many cousins and their children across the country.  Her warm smile and frank demeanor will be missed by all who knew her.

Memorial service will be Saturday, June 11 at 10 a.m. at Cabot & Sons Chapel, 27 Chestnut St., Pasadena.