Nancy Marcia Misler

Nancy Chor Misler left us on May 19, 2022, to go on her final journey.  I mean, as she frequently reminded us, before coming back as a Royal.  She liked being treated as a princess and would simply like to be one in her next life.  While wanting to be a princess, she never shied away from work or getting dirty.  She took on the many roles in her life with vigor and never tired, despite some insurmountable challenges.

Our mother loved to travel.  This was a trait passed on to her by her mother who was wild about travel as well.  As she, in turn, passed this love of experiencing foreign lands to her sons and granddaughters. Nancy traveled with her friends, her family, by herself, with a translator, and for a brief time with a musician.  She loved to sip coffee or wine in Amsterdam, eat meat pies in England, and watch lions in Kenya.  She loved the bazaars of Morocco and Egypt.  She proudly wore her jewelry and bragged about the artwork acquired from locals across the globe.  Most of all, she loved showing the world to her granddaughters, introducing them to food and culture and sensitivity for others that would and could make this world better.

Nancy was put on a challenging journey early.  She was adopted in the early weeks of her life.  She grew up loved and doted on by Zelda and Joe Chor.  Joe encouraged her to explore, Zelda pulled on the reigns when Nancy strayed too far.  She grew up in a multigenerational home with family members who showed her the ways of life and family.  Maybe not so much cooking; that came to her later.

Nancy put herself on a more challenging journey as a teenager.  She was married and with a son by 18.  By 23, she had two sons and a husband in college.  She put forth her best efforts to support her husband through his education and career while raising their sons.  She worked full time during most of it.  She dabbled in college classes and eventually settled on office work throughout her twenties and thirties.  Then, vacations and travel were with the family.  We camped and lay on the beach until sunburns got the best of us. Many boggle games were hotly played. 

As her children grew into adults, she found herself a single woman again. She then set off on a second career.  Nancy worked in the hospitality industry for the better part of fifteen years; she loved this.  It was snappy and filled with excitement. She got to wear her favorite lipsticks and stylish clothes.  Here she met a second set of close friends.  She also honed the skills needed for event planning.  She then worked for 18 years at Washington Hebrew Congregation, coordinating events until she could no longer do this. Simply put, she embodied this work.  She loved the families who depended on her for support.  She approached helping her families with the support they needed with reverence, whether with graveside selection or something as simple as getting an appetizer platter.  It did not matter- She just loved the work. She wanted people to feel heard, loved, and supported. She did this.

Just over five years ago, Nancy received the upsetting news that she had metastatic lung cancer that had spread to her brain.  With only months to live, she set forth to live as long as she could.  For her, a full five and a half years.  She did this with the loving support of several friends, her two sons, two daughters-in-law, and her granddaughters. She lived independently for the first four years and then moved to Maine.  Over the past year or so, she enjoyed many meals with family and friends and outings to beloved places in Maine.  She ate oysters, clams, and poutine with gusto, complained about her waistline, and went back for more.  She never fought her disease.  She just denied the reality of it and did this with determination.

Nancy was predeceased by her parents Joseph Joseph Chor (Yes, Joseph Joseph) and Zelda Bloom Chor.  She is survived by her two sons, Scott and Ryan Misler.  Their wives, Jeri and Jessica.  Her granddaughters, Tien, Daija, and Zara Jo.  She is loved by an extensive extended family of Offit’s, Roth’s, Lampe’s, and others. 

Nancy requested that memorial contributions be made to Baobab Senegal Education Initiative (BSEI) an organization started by her son that supports the education of women and girls in Senegal. From its start, Nancy was one of the biggest supporters of BSEI and its mission; contributions can be made by going to senegaleducation.org. Nancy was also a big supporter of The American Cancer Society (cancer.org), Planned Parenthood (plannedparenthood.org), and the elephant orphanage program in Nairobi, Kenya, The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (sheldrickwildlifetrust.org), donations to any of these organizations would honor her memory. 

All are welcome immediately following the service for a luncheon at Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St NW, Washington, DC 20016.