Nancy Lee Bliss
May 29, 1929 – October 8, 2021
Nancy Lee Bliss, a longtime beloved member of the Othello community, passed away from natural causes on Oct. 8, 2021. Known for her quick laugh and friendly nature, Nancy left us at the age of 92, still smiling warmly, regardless of her experiences with Alzheimer’s disease in her last years.
Nancy Clark was born on May 29, 1929, in Hermiston, Oregon, to Edith (Prann) and Cleve Clark. Raised on a small working farm of chickens, dairy cows and fresh produce just outside of town, Nancy spent her entire youth in Hermiston, graduating from Hermiston High School in 1947. Nancy married Fred Bliss in Moscow, Idaho, in 1951. During this time, Fred attended the University of Idaho and Nancy attended Kinman Business University in Spokane, studying accounting.
She is survived by their offspring Kathryn Bliss (Joel Swink), David (Debby) and John (Maria), eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Nancy’s son Scott Bliss preceded her in death in 2013. She is also survived by her sister Mary Hall of Seattle and Fred’s sister Joan Rupert (Stan) of Vacaville, California.
Throughout her life, Nancy was well known in Othello for her active involvement and support of the community. She enjoyed a long and rewarding career with P.J. Taggares Company, spanning the early days of Chef Reddy Foods to its eventual sale to McCain Foods; Nancy finally retired at age 69. Nancy was deeply involved in the Othello community throughout her years raising her family as a working mother, and well into her retirement years. Nancy and Fred were founding members of the Othello Theater Guild and the historic Old Hotel. They also played instrumental roles in both fundraising and homebuilding for Othello’s Habitat for Humanity, as well as years volunteering for the Othello Food Bank and the annual Sandhill Crane Festival. Nancy was also a longtime member of the Othello First Presbyterian Church.
To our family and her grandkids, Nancy will always be remembered for hosting large Thanksgiving gatherings at the Othello family home, complete with all-hands Turkey Bowl football games in Lions Park; for her love of the beach at our many Bliss family reunions in Manzanita, Oregon; for her reluctant love for Fred’s procession of German shorthair hunting dogs through our home; for throwing all of us onto the Othello swim team and driving us all over eastern Washington to weekend swim meets; for supporting her boys’ diets in their endless pursuit of making weight for their high school wrestling matches; and for her large garden supplying us with raspberries, too much rhubarb and the occasional crabapple jam.
No memory of Nancy would be complete without mentioning the wonderful friendships that she and Fred enjoyed over many years: Jean and Dan Leary, Nancy and Bill Briggs, Roberta and Mel Gertler, Bill Bethman, Jean and Ted Muscott, Delores and Jack McClean and Charlotte and Don Butler.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Othello on Friday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. The family will also celebrate her life in a spring gathering in Manzanita. Please honor Nancy’s memory with a Thanksgiving gift to the Othello Food Bank or Habitat for Humanity.