Nancy Sue Seten, loving wife, mother, and grandmother passed away December 4th peacefully in her sleep in Durham, North Carolina. Born in Eldorado, IL on July 18, 1942, Nancy graduated from Harrisburg High School in 1960 and went on to major in English at Southern Illinois University (SIU). Her mother Wanda was among the first women to graduate from SIU with a master’s degree in special education; her father Fred was also a teacher and school principal.

Nancy followed her parents into the field of education. A lifelong reader and lover of literature and the arts, Nancy taught English in Oak Park, IL during her husband Chuck’s medical school residency. Nancy later served on the Board of Education in Harrisburg and volunteered in adult literacy. She devoured news and current events and would happily, if stubbornly, argue politics with all takers.

In 1968, Nancy relocated to California with her husband Chuck, who was stationed there with the U.S Army and where she gave birth to her daughter Sara. In 1972, the Army posted Nancy and Chuck to Germany where her son Charlie was born. Having two young kids did not dampen their enthusiasm for traveling. They roamed central Europe on weekends and holidays in a second-hand, canary yellow Volvo, seeing the world on a dime and kindling their mutual, lifelong appreciation of wine and food along the way.

Nancy passed her passion for books and politics to her children: Sara, who became a librarian and archivist at Duke University, and Charlie, a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department. Nancy remained an avid traveler and was present for the births of all four of her beloved grandchildren at whatever time and wherever the events occurred—Austin, Chicago, and Durham, where she moved for the last time in 2012. She and Chuck even visited Charlie when he worked in New Delhi, India, and Santiago, Chile— proof there was no distance she wouldn’t travel to visit the grandkids.

Nancy was active in the community as a member of P.E.O, 40-and-8, and the Harrisburg Evergreen Garden Club. She toiled in the garden to eye-popping results; her roses, irises, lilies, and landscaping at her home in Harrisburg were greatly admired.

It was only last December that Nancy’s family grieved the loss of her daughter Sara to cancer. Her death was a rare moment of parental grief for Nancy, a doting mother who played a central role in her children’s and grandchildren’s lives. Nancy rarely missed a band concert or play and relished reading book reports, history papers, and college admission essays with her red English teacher’s pen in hand. She doled out praise and helpful edits in equal measure.

Married in 1964, Nancy celebrated her 59th anniversary with her husband Chuck in June. Maybe it was just an accident of smalltown fate, but a beautiful fact is that Nancy met Chuck in kindergarten—nearly 77 years ago. They attended senior prom together and were rarely apart since, including Nancy’s last hours. In between, they shared a life of unusual devotion and commitment.

Nancy’s keen mind persisted until the end, when her body gave out from a combination of ailments. Her final Thanksgiving was bittersweet, with her four grandchildren returning to her bedside in Durham to wish her love one last time.

She is survived by her husband Chuck Seten of Durham; her son Charlie F. Seten, daughter-in-law Tong Seten, and grandchild Charles W. Seten of Falls Church, VA; her son-in-law Sasha Berghausen and grandchildren Alexander, Ellen, and Jane Berghausen of Durham, NC; Mary, Tom and Matthew Wilkin of Tennessee; Ruth Ann Dilbeck and her children Jill, Polly, and Joe o Texas; and Judy Hopkins of Marion, IL.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Equal Justice Initiative at https://eji.org/