Nancy Ward Mowery

Nancy Ward Mowery, unbelievably, at the age of 90, has passed. A survivor of many health issues and hurricanes, Nancy was herself a force of nature. Equal amounts tenacity, wit, grace, and mischief; an original steel magnolia. Born on a farm in 1933 to Angie Bryant Hutchinson Ward and Walter Winfield Ward, she grew up with her sisters, Iva and Alice, brothers Donald and Tom, in rural Tennessee. She left home in 1950 and pursued a degree in business, attending Tennessee Tech University. Nancy went on to work in the field of aeronautical engineering, inventing a whoopie cushion to take to the moon. Or maybe not. She joked a lot, it’s uncertain if this is a real thing, but if you can give a cat an enema, which she is rumored to have done, anything is possible. 

Nancy moved to Pennsylvania and spent several happy years there, marrying and starting a family with Joseph Mowery. Their daughter, Jo Michelle Mowery, was born in 1970. After the untimely death of her first husband, she returned to Tennessee with her daughter. There, as in Pennsylvania, Nancy befriended many people, enriching lives with well-timed quips and always made time for a lively debate or a round of boggle over a cup of coffee. It was in Tennessee that Nancy met her devoted husband, Jesse Hunter. They married in 1986 and had thirty-seven years of friendship and love. 

Along with laughter, green beans, and board games, Nancy loved her daughter, Jo Michelle, beyond measure. Jo Michelle, Jesse, and Nancy explored the world, sometimes with family and friends, but mostly together. Nancy was lucky enough to travel several times to Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, Israel, Ireland, Scotland, England, Bermuda, Australia, Alaska, Hawaii, and other states including exotic places...like Alabama. 

She was a member of Brentwood United Methodist Church, and a devoted Marshall’s shopper. 

Nancy is mourned by many: namely, her husband, Jesse Hunter; Her beloved daughter, Jo Michelle Mowery, and her husband Todd Cottingham, and their children, Joseph and Emery Cottingham; Her sisters, Iva Jinnette and Alice Clardy; and many, many cherished nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. 

Her funeral service will be held from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. Visitation with the family will be held one hour prior to the service from 9:00 until 10:00 AM. Burial to follow at 1:00 PM at Riverview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville, Tennessee. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Nancy’s memory to St. Jude’s Children Hospital or the Carter Center.