Nancy Yeakey

Nancy Marie Coster Yeakey was born on November 17, 1931, in the mountains of Colorado, where her adventurous and resilient spirit first took root. She grew up in Minturn, spending summers camping with her parents, Vera and Louis Coster, near her father’s road-building sites in the Rockies. She often recounted stories of hunting rabbits for dinner — a Depression-era necessity — and marveled that le lapin now appears as a delicacy on fine restaurant menus.

After high school, Nancy moved to Denver to work in administrative support, where she met the love of her life, Glenn Yeakey, an Air Force lieutenant, on a blind date. She thought he’d ghosted her after their first outing, only to learn he was recovering from Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Once he reappeared, the two were inseparable. They married soon after, beginning a lifetime of adventure that would take them to all 7 continents.

Nancy and Glenn welcomed their children, Michael and Patricia (now married to Edward Aussem), and settled in Bradford, Pennsylvania where they put down roots for more than a decade. As a child of the Depression, Nancy had an uncanny knack for making beauty out of necessity. She sewed elegant clothes that looked straight out of a boutique, knitted sweaters and socks for the family, and could repurpose just about anything. Long before sustainability became trendy, Nancy lived it with talent and ingenuity.

In 1969, the family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, the first of three international assignments with Corning Glass that also included Taiwan and Indonesia. Nancy became the matriarch of the Corning expatriate community, helping other families adjust to the new culture and find their footing far from home.

After returning to the States, Nancy and Glenn “retired” to Florida, where they took up sailing and logged over 20,000 nautical miles exploring destinations from the Chesapeake to the Virgin Islands and beyond. During this time, she delighted in her grandchildren — Ryan Aussem (now married to Hunter with daughter Jane), Sean Aussem, Megan Yeakey, and Amanda Hatchett (now married to Tyler Hatchett) — and poured her creativity into knitting tiny sweaters and blankets and crafting Halloween costumes that set the neighborhood standard (her Ninja Turtles and Batman creations were legendary).

Later moves took Nancy and Glenn to Durango, Colorado, and eventually Hendersonville, North Carolina, where Nancy enjoyed her friends, her coffee group at the Ugly Mug, and her beloved Tibetan Spaniel, Butch.

Nancy passed away peacefully on October 7, 2025, after receiving exceptional care at HHR and at Elizabeth House. She will be remembered for her humor, strength, and generous heart — a woman who lived fully and loved deeply.

“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. For those who love with heart and soul, there is no such thing as separation.” — Rumi

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to michaeljfox.org to support Parkinson’s research.