Nancy Vlcek

Nancy was born in Portland, Oregon to Gloria (Moore) and Richard Vlcek, joining her big brother, Rick Vlcek, in the Beaumont neighborhood family home.  Nancy attended Beaumont K-8 and graduated from Grant High School in 1973.   She completed her junior year studying finance at Oregon State University when fate intervened:  she met a man at the Woolworth’s lunch counter that convinced her to come work for him at First Interstate Bank instead of returning to college, thus beginning a life long career in the banking industry.  She gained a sister August 12, 1972 when Rick married Jan (Snowberger) Vlcek.  She joyously welcomed and doted on each of her three nieces:  Jeannie (Vlcek) Manning, Sarah (Vlcek) Hall, and Kristen (Vlcek) Hopper.  As her nieces grew, she never missed an event and became more like a sister to them as they grew into adulthood.  As their families grew with marriages and children, each new family member delighted her and she never missed an event for any of them.  Nancy is survived by her brother, sister in law, nieces, her nephews in law:  Terry McCullough, Jeff Link ,and Geoff Barrett, and great nieces and nephews:  Tyler and Kyle Manning, Mickenzie and Alexia Hall, Evan and Luke Hopper, Vivian McCullough, and Ryan and Lily Link.

Nancy lived life to the fullest!  She loved all things Mickey Mouse and Disneyland and loved to tell folks she and Disneyland were both born in 1955.  She was an annual pass holder, visited frequently, and loved being a tour guide for friends and family headed to the Magic Kingdom.  She loved to cruise, sailing all over the world on more than 30 Princess cruises.  She was a devout Portland Trailblazers believer and a season ticket holder for more than 30 years.  She also sang with the Portland Singing Christmas Tree for many years and enjoyed singing with the Lutheran Church choir.  She was an amazing cross-stitch artist and enjoyed many stitchery afternoons and weekend vacation trips with her stitchery friends.  She also spent an enormous amount of time in Aurora with her family.  Any down time she had, she could be found at a casino, she and Rick traveled together many times to Las Vegas and she was recognized by many staff members at Ilani Casino near her home—the family joked that we need to send a condolence card to them!

Nancy passed away of natural causes at home in Vancouver July 25, 2022.  While we will dearly miss her, we find comfort that she is reunited with her parents and her beloved pup, Maggie, on the other side.  Public viewing will be held Thursday, August 4th 4-6pm at Rose City Cemetery followed by private burial.

Nancy’s family would like to invite all family and friends to a joyous Celebration of Life at McMenamins Kennedy School Gymnasium Sunday, September 25th at 1:00pm.  Come share a cider and a story!  Strict dress code:  Trailblazers, Disney (especially Mickey), casino and/or cruise wear :)

Charitable contributions to The Portland Singing Christmas Tree, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Dove Lewis Animal Hospital, or any charity of your choice.