Nancy F Eichenauer's Obituary
Nancy Fisher Eichenauer was born on May 15, 1931, in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Marian Elizabeth (Whiteman) and Hart Udell Fisher. She married William Thomas Eichenauer on August 8, 1953, in Port Washington, N.Y. She is survived by her 5 children; daughters, Beth Stringer, Patty Jones, Sue Allen (John), sons, Lee (Toni) and Tom, 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. She was preceded by her husband, parents, and sisters, Patricia Schleicher and Elizabeth Stahl.
Nancy’s father was an engineer for Monsanto and worked on the Manhattan Project during the 1930s and 40s, so the family lived in St. Louis, Texas City, Texas, Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Dayton, Ohio, returning to St. Louis her senior year where she graduated from Webster Groves High School in 1949.
Her interest in music started at a young age when her grandparents gifted a piano to the family. Nancy was just 5 years old when she started taking lessons. Their home in the “secret city” of Oak Ridge was on a newly built military base with a brand-new high school. The auditorium at the school hosted numerous community concerts. She had fond memories of turning the pages for the pianist during rehearsals and playing the organ at the Church on the Hill for weddings. Nancy also accompanied all the high school rehearsals for the play, "Green Grow The Lilacs,” her favorite musical.
Nancy and her sisters traveled many times by car with their mother to Roswell, New Mexico to visit their grandparents, Marian and Frederick Whiteman. Unbeknownst to all of them, Nancy’s future husband Bill, was stationed at Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas at the same time, installing radar at the White Sands Test Center, just outside Roswell.
Nancy attended Millikin University majoring in Music Education and was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. Nancy and Bill met on campus after he returned from the military in 1953. Their whirlwind courtship started with their first date on Feb. 13, 1953, at a Valentine's Day Dance at the Decatur Club. Bill proposed on April 13, 1953, at Decatur Airport and they married August 8, 1953, at Nancy’s parents’ home in Port Washington, NY.
Nancy’s love of music shaped many of her cherished moments while living in Decatur, from music education to her volunteer work as president of the Symphony Orchestra Guild, member of PEO and Junior Welfare, and singing in the choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church. She taught music at La Petite Academy and was the choral teacher at St. Teresa High School in the early 1970s, directing a choir of caroling football players on stage during the annual Christmas concert, one of her favorite performances. She held piano lessons for many students in her home, so living room concerts on her baby grand piano were frequent. When Nancy moved to Primrose Retirement Community, she donated her beautiful piano to the Tri Delta sorority house on the Millikin campus.
Nancy’s love of music and family, her optimistic view of life and quick wit will forever be remembered in our hearts. A private family service will be held in Decatur with arrangements by Graceland-Fairlawn. Memorial contributions can be directed to the Symphony Orchestra Guild in her name through The Heart of IL Community Foundation at www.heartofillinois.org.
A special thank you to Gentiva Hospice Team and the staff at Primrose Retirement Community for taking such good care of our mother.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.gracelandfairlawn.com.
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