Nancy Pedersen

Nancy Dee Pedersen, of Moscow, died Thursday, July 8, 2021 at the Good Samaritan Moscow Village. She was 79.

Nancy was born June 24, 1942 in Moscow, ID to Ernest and Dorothy Wohletz.  She was very proud of her father Ernie, who was the University of Idaho Dean of Forestry and Director of the Forest, Wildlife and Range Experiment Station.  A scholarship is granted each year in his name.

She attended St Mary’s Catholic School and graduated from Moscow High School, where she was Homecoming Princess and Senior year book editor.  She attended the University of Idaho and pledged Gamma Phi Beta. She was a member of the Hell Divers and synchronized swimming team, and sang as a member of the Sweet Adeline’s. An accomplished pianist Nancy once played with the Spokane Symphony.   As a Vandal Booster, she loved playing the Vandal fight song and was even able to master the classical piece, “Flight of the Bumblebee.”

In August of 1969, Nancy married her one true love, Lonne Pedersen. They made their home in Moscow where they raised their children, Kenny, Shelley and Jill. Along with her own children, Nancy had a hand in raising thousands of Moscow children throughout her 33 year career teaching first grade at Russell Elementary in Moscow. There she was the recipient of both the State of Idaho and National Teacher of the Year award.

After retiring from the Moscow School district, she spent most of her time volunteering at the Moscow Public Library.  She loved spending each summer at Priest Lake with her family and sister Barbara Hunter.

Nancy is survived by her husband Lonne at their Moscow home and children, Kenny, Shelley and Jill, along with grandchildren Brock, Riley, Kenzi, Lannie, Taylor, Holly and Cameron.

Viewing will be held at Short’s Funeral Chapel on Monday, July 12, from 12-5 p.m. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at the Moscow Cemetery.

Slow Me Down Lord – Prayers of the Pilgrim

Slow me down, Lord.
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations

of slowing down to look at a flower,
to chat with an old friend, or make a new one;
to pat a stray dog,

to watch a spider build a web,

to smile at a child
to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise,
that I may know that the race is not always to the swift—
that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak
and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

Amen

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Friends of the Moscow Library, the Lewy Body Association Lbda.org, and the Alzheimer Association, Alz.org.

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