Nancy M. LaVoie

Nancy M. LaVoie was born on July 6 th 1927, in Long Beach, California.  A year after Mom’s birth, Penicillin was discovered.  When I pointed this out to her a few weeks before she died, I received a smile with an air punch.  Mom’s quick wit and great sense of humor will be missed.  Nancy was born to Charles and Mary McLaughlin, the second of six children. As a child Nancy loved to roller skate. She was proud of being a tomboy and looking up to her older brother Chuck as a hero.  As a young woman Nancy worked for Mobil Oil in Los Angeles. She loved telling of meeting Howard Hughes with her friend near the Catalina pier. Giggling, and watching him from afar, he surprised them by walking over and putting his arms around them asking “Are you girls laughing at me?”.   They were too embarrassed to answer.  

In her late 20’s she ventured to Germany by Holland America to meet friends where they continued travels for 3 months.  Nancy married Edgar Eugene LaVoie in 1960. They traveled to South America for their honeymoon and shared an affinity for travel, joining family in Hawaii and visiting California family when possible. Together they built a home on Flathead Lake where they treasured summers with family and friends. Nancy enjoyed working with friends at the Kiddie Shop downtown.  She trained to become a phlebotomist at Community Hospital and worked there until she retired in 1993.  After retiring, Nancy and Edgar moved from Missoula to their home on Flathead Lake. She maintained the acreage at Flathead Lake earning her nickname, “The Lawn Ranger”.  Her family arrived at the lake on one weekend to find Nancy had managed to hit her eye while driving the riding lawn mower under the hammock.  Her response to the family’s distress that she had attempted this maneuver in her 80’s was, “I didn’t have any trouble when I did it last time”. 

Nancy loved to read and was an avid crossword puzzler. Aging never slowed her down. In her 80s she took trips to visit her granddaughter in AZ, road tripped with her dear friend through CA, and at 90 she traveled to Ireland with her 3 children. 

Nancy was devoted to her Catholic faith and at 94 she completed, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, during which she committed to an hour of prayer a day. She was unwavering, in her faith in God and her devotion to her family.

Her granddaughter Rachel shared all her adventures and accomplishments with Nancy who was her biggest fan and sometime accomplice.  The birth of her Great Granddaughter Violet was the joy of her last 17 months of life. 

Nancy died on November 26th 2024 at the age of 97 in the home she shared with her daughter and her son-in-law along with their beloved Newfie. To say she will be missed seems wholly inadequate.  For those of us blessed with her as mother, grandmother, great grandmother, family and friend the world will forever now be emptier and somewhat askew without her steadfast faith, love, and wisdom. 

Nancy is survived by her 3 children Lisa (Pat) Sharkey, Joe LaVoie, and Leslie (Jay) Owen, her granddaughter Rachel (Sam) Valdivia, Great granddaughter Violet and many nieces and nephews. 

Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Church, 420 West Pine St., Tuesday, December 10th at 11 a.m.

We would like to thank her physician Dr. Peter Szekely, his nurse Tammy, and Partner’s in Home Care Hospice for their care.  In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to your favorite charity.