Nancy Ward Liston

Nancy Ward Liston has died Monday, June 18, 2012, mostly due to getting pretty old and partly due to COPD and the longer-term effects of a 2008 colon cancer. Nancy was born Nancy Ann Ward on February 9th, 1928 in Sandusky. Her parents were DeForest Ward of Rochester in Lorain County, and Helen Davison Ward of Harrison OH, on the Indiana border near Kentucky. Her parents met when Helen worked summers at the Wild Waves Hotel which DeForest built near Mitiwanga. The family resided first in Ruggles Beach and later at the Wild Waves Hotel. Nancy watched her parents develop the Wild Waves Motel. Nancy attended schools in Huron, Berlin Heights, and beginning 7th grade in Vermilion. She was the Vermilion High School 1945 valedictorian. She attended Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University in Cleveland and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Nancy met her future husband Nelson Hoke Liston at a campus mixer when he and a buddy decided to ask the next two pretty girls who walked in to dance. They married June 12, 1948 in Vermilion. After graduating, Nancy sold books at the Halle's department store in downtown Cleveland while Hoke finished architecture school. Nancy and Hoke moved to Mitiwanga in 1950, and then built a home east of Mitiwanga in 1954. Mike Liston (Carol Miller) of Bay Village was born in 1951, Tim Liston (Dawn Griffith) of Lakewood in 1954, and John Liston (Sharon Yarnell) of Medina in 1957. Nancy is also survived by grandchildren Jonathan and his wife Jennifer Lang, Christopher, Stephen, Jessica, Julia, Madelyn, and Katherine, and by great grandchildren Joshua, Jacquilyn, and Mallory. Nancy's brother DeForest William "Bill" Ward (Delaine Royhab) resides in Lorain. Nancy expected to be a homemaker but also attained a German language teaching certificate as a fallback position. She began teaching in 1950 in a Perkins 5th grade classroom. She switched in 1951 to Vermilion High School where she first taught English and later became Freshman Algebra and General Math Teacher for Life. Nancy was frequently voted Most Intelligent Teacher by her students, which was unfair to the other teachers because Nancy taught so many students. Nancy was the VHS National Honor Society adviser for many years, and also coached several Academic Challenge teams. Nancy loved teaching for many reasons, but a big one is that it permitted her summers off. Nancy loved swimming and sunning and spent most summer afternoons at her Lake Erie beach with her sons. She retired from teaching in 1984 after 28 years. Ever since, Nancy and Hoke lived the Eternal Summer, wintering at Lake San Marino near Fort Myers and summering at her home in Vermilion. Hoke died in 1993 but Nancy continued being a snowbird, with the help of many friends, in particular Mary Ann Swineford. In Florida Nancy swam every day and often played oddball Canadian card games with her Canadian friends. She was proud that she rode the roller coasters at Cedar Point when she was 65, and that she parasailed on her 75th birthday. Nancy loved reading and solving crossword and sudoku puzzles. Nancy was a member of Vermilion College Club and the Delta Kappa Gamma educators honor society. Friends may call on Thursday June 21, 2012 for a "Liston's Last Look" from 4 pm until the time of the funeral service at 7 pm at the Riddle Funeral Home, 5345 South St., Vermilion. Graveside services will be held Friday at 10 am at Oak Bluff Cemetery in Ruggles Beach. The family suggests memorial contributions to Lake Erie Waterkeeper Inc. 3900 North Summit, Building 2 Toledo, Ohio 43611. Online condolences may be made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com