Nancy Elizabeth Bose (Nee Sylvester)

STOW - Nancy Elizabeth Bose (nee Sylvester), wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother (GiGi), nurse, Sunday school teacher, parish volunteer, and grand lady of our family passed away on August 17, 2024. She was 93 years old.

Nancy was born at home in Derry, Pennsylvania on March 28, 1931, to Angelo and Elvira Sylvester, the tenth of twelve children. As a daughter of Italian immigrants, she prided herself on her heritage of flavorful cooking and family devotion.

She graduated from Derry High School in "the dell of the Laurel Mountains" in 1949. Valedictorian of her class, she was editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, played basketball, (earning the nickname "Little Stretch”), and was active in many clubs. Nancy then graduated from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh in 1952 and was a dedicated nurse in multiple areas in the days when a nurse serviced an entire ward. She especially loved working maternity.

While working as a nurse, Nancy met Edward Bose from Long Island, NY, a football player at the University of Pittsburgh. They dated, fell in love, and married on November 25, 1954, in Derry. After living in Pittsburgh and New York, they moved to Akron and settled in Stow in 1960, where they raised their eight children.

Nancy displayed a lifelong dedication to her family, never missing a child's or grandchild's birthday, concert, play or sporting event. There wasn’t a neighborhood kid that she didn’t welcome, give a ride home or feed. With her husband, she hosted many celebrations, including annual Fourth of July parties for more than 50 years.

Nancy was a deeply faithful Catholic, and a long-time member of Holy Family Parish in Stow. She served as a Sunday School teacher and volunteered in her children’s school as well as many church committees over the years.

Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, Edward, in 2018, and by her parents; her brothers: Anthony, Louis, Lodo, Albert, Bernard, Pat, John, and Carl, and her sisters: Ida, Delores, and Mary.

She is survived by her sons, Edward Bose (Lisa), and Tom Bose (Marlene); daughters, Karen Rusnak (Michael), Pam Bose, Susan Bose, Michele Fowkes (Brian), Becky Bose, and Jennifer Schrickel (Chris), and, like a daughter, Tammy Jirous, as well as fifteen grandchildren, and seven, (soon to be eight), great-grandchildren.

Along with her devotion to her family and her service to the church, Nancy will be remembered for her kindness, patience, and the subtle sense of humor she brought to most everything she did. Lively and intelligent, she lived a life according to her faith and her own strong moral compass. She died as she lived: loved and surrounded by her family. She was an inspiration to all who knew her and will be deeply missed.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt appreciation to Summa Hospice and Senior Helpers of Akron for the comfort they provided to our mother.

Friends are invited to Redmon Funeral Home, 3633 Darrow Road, Stow 44224, for visitation on Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 4 to 7 PM.  Mass of the Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 23, 2024, at 10 AM, at Holy Family Parish, 3179 Kent Road, Stow 44224, Fr. Michael P. McCandless celebrant.  Please meet and form procession at the church.  Burial will follow at Silver Springs Cemetery.

"Our lives are at once both ordinary and mythical."

~ Bobbie Bell
Poet and Playwright