Nancy Lee Constance Niess, beautiful and loving wife, mother, sister, and friend passed away July 29, 2024 in Columbia, Missouri after a brief illness. Born October 13, 1935 to Gladys and Theodore Constance, she grew up in Kansas City, where she attended East High School.
Nancy was the first girl to be a grocery sacker at the Milgram's Grocery store. It was there she met Charles Niess (Fritz or Charlie to his friends), whom she married as he was heading off to the Korean War. Upon his return they spent several years moving between coaching jobs, teaching jobs and graduate school, while having four children: Charles Jr. (Martha Wheeler), Barbara (Jim Orr), Carolyn (Gabriel Amparan) and Michael (Susan Allen).
Nancy completed her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education at MSSC while raising her children. She taught first grade for several years at the Duenweg School. She was an outspoken leader of teachers' rights and was President of the Joplin Teachers Association. During her term she was a great advocate for higher pay. In later years, she and Charlie operated a small business together.
She was a longtime member of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Joplin and recently a member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Sedalia.
Nancy and Charlie enjoyed their many years as active members at the local and national levels of the service organization, the National Exchange Club. They made many lifelong friends traveling the country to conventions. She loved to go camping with her family and was very proud to have traveled to forty-nine of the fifty states. She has spent her retirement years enjoying life at the lake and visiting her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Many will miss her beautiful smile, sparkling blue eyes, kindness and her homemade pies.
Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, Charles, her parents, Ted and Gladys Constance and a granddaughter, Jazmine Tezak. She is survived by her four children and their spouses, her brother, James Constance (Judy Bidwell) and all other grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Services will be held at Calvary Episcopal Church, 713 Ohio Ave. in Sedalia, Missouri on August 10 at 10:30 a.m. With a reception to follow.
Memorials to honor Nancy may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the animal shelter of your choice. Notifications of memorial donations may be sent to lakebirds2@gmail.com.
