Nancy Gable

Nancy Gable

Cedar Rapids

Nancy Gable, 92, was born on March 1, 1932, and passed away peacefully in her sleep on May 11, 2024.

Nancy was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, IA. She attended the University of Iowa after graduating from Franklin High School in 1950. She briefly worked for Boy Scouts of America before going into banking and worked for Merchants National Bank for many years. She married Fred Gable, her childhood sweetheart, in 1956, and they would have celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on Sunday, May 19.

Nancy enjoyed her flower garden, especially her lilacs, peonies and pansies and also loved the bridal wreath and hollyhocks her mother grew on the little acreage where Nancy grew up. She had a happy childhood and many warm memories from that time in her life.

She was a loving, creative and practical wife and mother, and her family will always remember her sitting on the living room floor, laying out the latest patterns from McCalls or Simplicity on fabric she had chosen for her children’s clothing, or new curtains or slipcovers for the sun room. She was a coupon-cutter and a garage sale thrifter, and a “here, I cut out this article in the paper for you,” kind of mom. She was always thinking of her children and her husband and looked after them with unconditional love.

Nancy believed strongly in giving back to the community and generously volunteered her time to St. Luke’s Hospital, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, The History Center and many local schools and nursing homes. She was a Campfire Girls troop leader. Every year in the fall she would take her kids and grandkids along to buy and drop off extra school supplies to donate to local schools.

She had a wonderful group of friends in Janet Myers, Marian Torno and Bert Hamdorf, with whom she remained friends for nearly 6 decades. They often travelled together, to Kansas City to see a show, to St. Louis for a girl’s weekend and even once on a tour of Europe.

Well-known for her witty and loving personality, she kept her sense of humor to the end, and was a favorite at Keystone Cedars, where she will be missed by many. Her legacy is one of unconditional love, community service, clever humor and shrewd creativity.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Fred Gable, her son, Gary Gable (Sue) daughters Marni Gable and Wendy Downey (David), two grandchildren, Piper (Samuel) and Jack, and four great-grandchildren as well as nephews Michael Mehegan (Deborah) and Barry Holloway (Christine) and niece Caitlyn Erickson (Rob). She was predeceased by her parents, Elmer and Margaret Holloway, her brother Charles R. Holloway and her sister, Bette Mehegan.

Nancy left behind many important lessons, including: only buy furniture that is dovetailed, dustproof and solid wood (not that cheap cardboard), and advised her children to always ask themselves, “Would my mother let me do this?” before taking any action. With witty wisdom, Nancy’s influence extended far beyond her family. Her legacy – a role model for community service, creativity and unconditional love – will continue to inspire those who were fortunate enough to know her.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, May 15 at St. Andrews Lutheran Church, followed by a fellowship luncheon at the same location. The family invites all who knew and loved Nancy to join them in celebrating her life and remembering her spirit.

In honor of Nancy’s devotion to her family and community, she requested any donations to be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association, The American Cancer Society and Lutheran Family Services.