Nancy Jane Bennett

Nancy was the daughter of Neil B. Bullock and Mary F. Baxter. Born and raised in Ottawa, she had many wonderful aunts and uncles and had a special relationship with her aunt Ilo.

From an early age, Nancy loved cats. She attributed her affection for felines to her Pop Bullock, her grandfather, who introduced young Nancy to his feline companion. Neil later gave Nancy her first cat, Jiggins.

Nancy was passionate about music of all kinds– from Bach to George Jones to gospel. She loved Frank Sinatra, cherishing his albums and movies as one of her many archives. Her music appreciation was rooted in her formal piano, violin, and organ training, and she played organ at First Baptist Church in Wichita, Kansas.

As a teacher, Nancy instilled a love of literature and poetry in her middle school students in Valley Center, Kansas. They admired her spirited personality and respected her empathy and advocacy for animals. Nancy always gave additional support to the teenagers who needed it. After moving back to Ottawa later in life, she taught higher education at Ottawa University and Neosho County Community College.

Christmas was Nancy’s favorite holiday. She loved snow, cookies, and Hallmark Christmas movies. As an unapologetic maximalist, she had a vast collection of snowmen and miniature Christmas trees, which she displayed year-round.

Nancy’s best-loved travel destinations were Estes Park, Colorado, where she took in views of the Rocky Mountains with friends and her parents on many trips, and Pensacola, Florida, where she visited her cousins and the beach.

In Ottawa, Nancy grew up alongside her Geist cousins, neighborhood playmates, and school colleagues, who all became her network of close friends. She also had vibrant friendships from her college days and teaching career and enjoyed correspondence through calls, texts, letters, and greeting cards.

Nancy was relentlessly compassionate toward animals and extended her generosity toward creatures of all kinds. She cared for cats, dogs, birds, horses, possums, racoons, rabbits, turtles, snails, and a ferret. She practiced vegetarianism before it was mainstream. Most importantly, she adopted numerous dogs, cats, and birds. She gave them shelter, food, love, and clever names in homage to her favorite people, both real and fictional, including: Jimmy Carter, Tiny Tim, Mick Jagger, Barack, Dickens, and Sinatra.

Nancy will be remembered for the joy and connection she found in pets and wildlife and for her dedication to the welfare of all animals. She leaves behind her beloved cats, who now need new homes and caretakers. Please contact Prairie Paws Animal Shelter for more information.

Nancy is preceded in death by her parents, Mary F. Baxter and Neil B. Bullock; her aunt, Ilo Bullock Price; and her cousin, Jean Winn Geist.

She is survived by Charles Gordon, Hal Gordon, Chris Kohl, David Kohl, Barbara Hugie, Billy Smithers, Mary Ruth Horn, the Geist family, and many beloved family, friends, and students.

In Nancy’s memory, donations can be made to Hope in the Valley Equine Rescue & Sanctuary, in Valley Center, Kansas https://hopeinthevalleyequinerescue.org, or Life on Life, a Christian non-profit mentorship program for young people founded by Nancy’s dear friend, Ernest Alexander https://www.lifeonlifeinc.org.

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Services will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time. Please click the livestream button to view the service.