On February 21, 2023, Nancie Eure passed away peacefully and entered into eternal glory with her Lord and Savior.  Nancie recently celebrated her 101 ^st birthday, but shortly afterward, she began to slip away from us.

She was born on January 23, 1922 in a farmhouse in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.  Life on the farm taught her to work hard, to enjoy a sense of accomplishment, to do a job well, and to look out for her neighbors.

She attended primary and secondary school at the Midway School where she excelled at basketball and softball.  Earning high marks and commendations for her studies, the only bad thing her instructors had to say about her was she was a bit talkative.  The lessons she learned on the farm and in Church Road carried her throughout her life.

Nancie left the farm at age 17 to attend Smithdeal-Massey Business College in Richmond, Virginia for a year.  She then moved to Portsmouth, Virginia to work at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.  Over the next several years, she worked as a bookkeeper, got her driver's license (after illegally driving for a while), and did her part like every American living through World War II on the home front.

Her move to Portsmouth proved serendipitous as she met the love of her life, Robert (Bob) M. Eure of Gates County, North Carolina at duckpin bowling league.  The two were married April 10, 1948, at Trinity Methodist Church and set out to make a life for themselves in the Hampton Roads area.

The 1950s brought wonderful changes to the Eure's life together when Betty and Robert Jr. arrived in 1951 and 1954 respectively.  With a full roost, Nancie left her job and stayed at home to raise her kids.  She always made sure to keep the cookie jar filled, dance recital costumes fitted, baseball uniforms clean, and the house immaculate.

In 1959, the family moved to Newport News, where they would permanently settle.

Bob and Nancie would become valued members of the community as members of Denbigh Baptist Church and as hosts of the teen hangout spot where the sound of ping pong in the garage would reverberate off the rafters until the late hours of the night.  One of her favorite hobbies at their home was her vegetable garden where she "brought the country to city" with tall tomato bushes and endless vines of green beans and butter beans.

After the kids were older, Nancie resumed her civil service career and retired after 25 years of service in 1982. She and Bob quickly came to revel in the joys of retirement. They bought a cottage in the Outer Banks. Bob would fish all day, bringing home fresh fish for Nancie to fry up. They came back to Newport News on the weekends to mow the lawn and worship at Denbigh. Weekly bowling and daily walking rounded out her busy retirement schedule. The best part of the 80s, however, was the birth of their three grandchildren, Michael, Timothy, and Rebekah.

Nancie became known as Nana, and frequently had her grandchildren down to stay for weeks at a time once Betty and family moved back to Virginia.  She made sure they learned how to bake cookies, play skip-bo, bowl, and appreciate puzzles. She also made many dresses for her granddaughter to wear. She says her biggest accomplishment as a grandmother is taking all of the grandkids (including a 2-year-old!) to the beach for a week and not letting anyone drown.  This was quite impressive considering Nancie didn't know how to swim herself.  Life was good for Nancie and Bob, and they looked forward to many years of family holiday dinners and beach trips with the grandkids.

By the mid-1990s, her dear husband Bob began experiencing several medical issues that would bring their time together to an end.  After 48 years of marriage, Bob died in 1996.

Taking her trials with grace and dignity, Nancie used the next 12 years to enjoy new experiences and grow closer to friends and family. Nancie toured the country and the world on a number of trips with her S.P.U.D.S. group at church and her friend and neighbor Joann.  Her favorite place was Hawaii, though her trip to Germany in September of 2001 was certainly a memorable one.  A trip in 2005 to Bermuda with her granddaughter Rebekah will always hold a special place in her heart.

In 2008, the day-to-day of keeping up a house and living alone became too much and Nancie moved into Warwick Forest.  While some may say her pace of life has slowed a bit, the next decade was one filled with excitement, friendship, and new joys.  After moving to Warwick Forest, she's witnessed two of her grandchildren get married, welcomed seven great-grandchildren, and watched her grandson Tim earn two graduate degrees.

Even with the busy, changing world around her, she very much enjoyed the simple things in life such as doing puzzles and walking to visit with friends.  She especially enjoyed when her great grandchildren visited and wanted to go see the birds and the fish in Keswick.  A special joy for her was spending her 101 ^st birthday with her newest great grandchild, Maggie.  She was never happier than when she received phone calls or visits from her Robert and Betty or one of her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Berkley F. Watkins and Florence R. Watkins; her brothers Marvin Watkins, Buster Watkins, and Glendon Watkins; her sister Lizzie Belle Elder; and her son-in-law Gary Johnson.  She is survived by her daughter Betty Johnson of Richmond, Virginia; her son Robert M. Eure, Jr. (Susan Molloy) of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina; her grandsons Michael D. Johnson (Emily) of Charleston, South Carolina and Timothy M. Johnson of Richmond, Virginia; her granddaughter Rebekah E. Miller (Andrew) of Fredericksburg, Virginia; and her great grandchildren Benjamin, Philip, Fiona, Daniel, Audrey Jane, Garrison, and Magnolia.

The family will receive friends for a visitation at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at W.J. Smith & Son Funeral Home, 210 Harpersville Road, Newport News, Virginia 23601.  The funeral will follow at 2 p.m.  A burial service will take place at 3 p.m. at Peninsula Memorial Park, 12750 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia 23606.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations to be made to the Peninsula Rescue Mission (prm.info) or Denbigh Baptist Church, 13010 Mitchell Point Road, Newport News, Virginia 23602.  In addition to donations, call your mother.  She'd love to hear your voice and that's what Nancie would have wanted.