Nancy Joy "Nan" (Waggoner) Miller

Nancy Joy (Waggoner) Miller, 75, of Onset Massachusetts, passed away on November 30th at Royal Cape Cod Nursing and Rehabilitation Center after a long illness.  Nan was born in Niagara Falls, NY.  She was the daughter of the late William J. and Evelyn L. (Joy) Waggoner. She graduated from LaSalle Sr. High School in 1965, and attended Graceland College in Lamoni, IA.

She raised four sons – Timothy, David, Andrew, and Jeffrey.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her sons Jeffrey and Andrew, and aunts/uncles Eleanor and Robert Manning and Kenneth and Marge Waggoner.  She is survived by sons Timothy and David Miller, grandchildren, Jeffery, Hannah, Gage and Mackenzie Miller; brothers Gary (Elayne) and John (Gretchen) Waggoner; nieces Stephanie (Brent) Sainz and Jennifer StClair, and nephew Jonathan (Kourtney) Waggoner.  She is also survived by 6 great nieces and nephews and many cousins."

During her working years she was employed by All-Safe in North Tonawanda, NY, and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, FL. But the job she loved the most was working for Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth MA – she was proud to be part of the Native Interpretation Area and was known on the staff as the “Corn Lady” for the quality of corn that she grew using original methods.

In the mid-70s, she contracted Lyme’s Disease before much was known about or treatments were available for the disease.  As a result she suffered with bouts of muscle pain and fatigue throughout her life.  But that didn’t stop her from doing the things she loved.

Nancy was a voracious reader and as a member of the “Friends of the (Wareham) Library” she always seemed to bring home more books than she regularly donated to their book sales. Many years ago she was an accomplished ceramicist, producing beautiful gifts with which she generously blessed her family and others. She had a life-long passion for US History – particularly the Civil War.  One of her great joys was visiting Gettysburg and touring the battlefield.  She also spent a great deal of time with family genealogy and did a great job of unraveling her family’s ancestors and trying to determine if her family’s roots went back to the pilgrims; she believed she found a direct connection. In the mid-90s, she authored a series of well received historical articles for the Wareham Courier called “Along the Way” where she used her love of local history to describe little known events that had occurred in the area and interesting places that were often missed (particularly cemeteries).

She was a lifelong member of Community of Christ.  Her cottage was on the Community of Christ campgrounds in Onset, and she loved the sense of fellowship that had evolved there since its founding over 100 years ago.  She was very proud that her grandpa Joy was one of the founding members of the campground.  She enjoyed being part of the activities, worship services and attending reunions.

She served as the New England Mission Center and Onset Congregational Historian for many and was involved in advocating for and supporting youth activities as well as serving as a multi-term member of the Onset Campgrounds Board of Trustees. She was passionate for causes and organizations that were important to her.  She became knowledgeable about native plants and was an advocate for growing and preserving native species and coastal habitats.

Nancy also was active in the community.  She served The Town of Wareham and the Village of Onset on various organizations and boards including the Onset Bay Association, the Wareham Cemetery Commission and the Wareham Historical Commission where she fought to preserve the important legacy of the areas heritage.  For many years she worked as an election poll worker for both state and national elections.

Nancy deeply loved her family; particularly her grandchildren and of course her cats - Baby Love and Winslow.  Nancy made it a point to stay in contact with family members - especially the many cousins on both the Waggoner and Joy sides. Nancy will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

The family wishes to express its gratitude to the nurses and staff at Royal Cape Cod Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Hospice for their support and care.

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