Nancy (Sadler) IRWIN

SADLER, IRWIN, SLAUGHTER, MADDUX, HARTMAN, MANLEY

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 12/5/2015 at 15:07:00

March 25, 1953 --- December 19, 2014

The world was given a great gift on March 25, 1953, when Nancy Sadler Irwin was born in Clarion, Iowa. She was raised by her parents Don and Virginia Sadler with solid midwest values. Courage, honesty, loyalty, and an insistence on excellence were seen in everything she did.

In her short 61 years Nancy lived life to the fullest. But she loved and excelled in three main areas in her life. Her love of music was a constant theme from grade school through her adulthood. In both high school and college Nancy excelled in playing the piano and vocal performance. She attended Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa where she performed in choral groups and as an accompanist for many vocalists and instrumentalists. Performances took her to Scandinavia and East Germany. Solos sung by her pitch-perfect voice were the highlight of many choir concerts. Her performances were marked by both her demand for perfection and her passion for the music she loved to share. She graduated from college with scholastic honors and a Bachelors of Music Education.

After realizing teaching was not her forte, Nancy began her career in banking. She approached her job here with the same demand for perfection that she held in her music. She rose from being a teller to her position of cash management, buying and selling treasury bonds for the bank.

The second great love of Nancy's life was design and decorating. In 2007 after her successful career in banking, Nancy opened her own design and decorating business - Irwin Interiors. Her home and the homes of her clients were brilliant works of art. Every detail was perfectly co-ordinated and beautifully appointed. Her business was hugely successful as she expressed her eye for beauty and her passion for excellence.

Nancy's third great love, and her greatest, was for her husband of 20 years, Harry Irwin. Together they shared life and love as most people never even imagine. Her greatest joy was just being with and doing things with Harry.

Nancy's enthusiasm and great joy over her life was shattered with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2012. Defying all odds Nancy bravely and courageously fought the cancer battle with Harry by her side every single step of the way. In spite of her own suffering, Nancy always remained selflessly engaged in the lives of her family and friends. On December 19, 2014, with family and friends by her side, Nancy peacefully passed away. She is free from her painful struggle and we choose to believe she is performing in the grand heavenly choir or working in God's design department with delight.

Our world has lost a bright and shining star. She is survived by her husband, Harry Irwin; parents, Don and Virginia Sadler; sister, Nikki Slaughter (DeWayne); step-children, Carrie Maddux (Kevin) and Richard Irwin; grandchildren, Alec and Mitchell Maddux and Madison, Makayla and Kaiden Irwin; niece, Amy Hartman; nephews, Jason and Jamie Slaughter; and cousin, Sherry Manley.

A Celebration of her life will be held on January 10, 2015 at 3:00 pm at Hidden Valley Country Club, Reno, NV 89502. Condolences can be emailed to: harryirwin@charter.net or mailed to: Harry Irwin, 3235 Piazzo Circle, Reno, NV 89502. The family requests no gifts or flowers.

Reno Gazette-Journal -- Reno, Nevada
January 7, 2015