Sparrow, Nancy C.

Nancy C. Sparrow, 68, of Coralville, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010, at Mercy Iowa City following a short illness. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, at Lensing's Oak Hill in Coralville. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Lensing's Oak Hill.

Nancy was born Sept. 17, 1942, in Iowa City, the daughter of Raymond and Velma (Moll) Mace. She was a 1960 graduate of City High School and a 1965 graduate of the University of Iowa. On March 31, 1967, Nancy was united in marriage to Jerry Sparrow.

Nancy began her teaching career in 1965, teaching high school for the Clear Creek Community School District. After one year, she moved to Cedar Rapids and taught first grade for three years before moving back to Iowa City, where she taught a variety of elementary grades. Nancy eventually decided on kindergarten and continued to teach for nearly 38 years, retiring in 2005. Nancy was a wonderful teacher who truly loved all of her students.

In her free time, Nancy enjoyed spending time with her family and her cat and dog. She loved to crochet and knit, and was an avid reader and collector of books. By all accounts, Nancy has a collection of over 8,000 children's books alone.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Jerry, and son, Ben, both of Coralville; her three sisters, Barbara (Ray) Willoughby of Iowa City, Joan (Bob) Kempf of Solon and Deanna (Don) Wahl of Ankeny; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her half sister, Patricia Mace.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to The Nancy Sparrow Memorial Fund.

Online condolences and memories may be left for the family at under obituaries.