GRACE, Nancy Lee

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Thursday, March 31, 2011 Nancy Lee Grace, 77, of Prescott Valley, Ariz., passed away peacefully March 27, 2011. Born in East Los Angeles on June 29, 1933, weighing only 1- ½ pounds, she was brought home in a cigar box, quite a remarkable survival for the times, but she was a survivor. She grew-up in the "Russian Flats" of L.A. and while attending Garfield High School, she met her future husband, Tom, in 1950 while on a "blind date" on April 1 (April Fools Day), and she had always said later that "they were fools to fall in love." They were happily married on Feb. 21, 1951. Tragedy struck, however, when they lost their first child during a complicated birth. Her survival was touch and go for a second time, and afterward, she developed chronic seizures, which increased in severity for the next decade, becoming life threatening. In 1963, she had to undergo pioneer, radical brain surgery, only performed successfully once before, and there again her survival was questionable. But she pulled through and in the process became a subject of notoriety amongst the top and future neurologists of the world. She became the subject of many studies and text- books, and productions put on by the Discovery Channel and the BBC. In 1987, She and Tom moved to Forest Hylands in Prescott where they were both active in the association there. Unfortunately, in 1997 she experienced a fall down the stairs, which later prompted a move to Prescott Valley where the "flat lands" were more accommodating. She experienced other significant fractures later in life, however, and due to all of the stress inflicted on her body over the years, she underwent prolonged rehabilitation therapy, but she was unable to regain her independent strength. However, she made the best of things, and will always be remembered for seeing the sunny side of life no matter how blue the situation. She made friends easily and had remained steadfast friends with those even from her school years. She had a bawdy sense of humor and was not shy of saying whatever came into her mind, and her bold, unhindered laugh was contagious and impressively memorable. She loved parlor games of any kind but was especially fond of UNO in which she was a "house champion." Nancy was preceded in death by her mother, her father, her only sister, and her only granddaughter. She is survived in loving memory by Tom of Prescott Valley, her loving husband of 60 years; her daughter, Linda of Prescott Valley; and her son, Tom of San Antonio, Texas. She was beautiful and loving and beloved, and she will be missed. She is laid to rest at Heritage Memorial Park in Dewey, Ariz., on Friday April 1, 2011. Information provided by survivors.