Nancy J. Dunham-Piper

Nancy Dunham Piper, 87, of Daytona Beach, passed away on April 30, 2021 after a long, full life of adventure and love. While myelodysplastic syndrome and a series of falls may have slowed her down in recent years, nothing dampened her indomitable spirit, unflagging optimism, her faith in God, and her love for family and friends. Nancy was born on August 22, 1933 in Lansing, Michigan to Viola Mae (Hendrie) and Arthur Devere Schoonover. She graduated from Adelphian Academy in Holly, Michigan, in 1951. Throughout her life, Nancy managed to find joy in so much, even when life threw challenges her way. She loved hosting big Christmastime family reunions, which featured spectacular feasts and some of the best fudge and cookies in the world. When she worked outside the home—in an era when opportunities for women were, particularly early on, very limited—she embraced her job responsibilities with enthusiasm, making order out of chaos in every office where she worked. She loved to travel and saw much of the world in the company of family and friends, visiting the beaches of Normandy, Japan, the Holy Land, and much of the rest of Europe. She loved fashion, and loved it even more if she could find that fashion on sale! She was always dressed to the proverbial nines, and gained an even deeper understanding of haute couture while studying at the Paris Fashion Institute. Many of her most joyful moments were spent closer to home—by the shores of Torch Lake, Michigan, with her family. She was also a woman of deep faith, and wherever she lived, she found a faith community that always came to be family—most recently at the Kingdom Family Church in Daytona Beach, where she was known to many as “Grandma Nancy.” She loved listening to and singing music. She loved to laugh, and if you ever watched The Apple Dumpling Gang with her, you know how hard she could laugh. She loved circus peanuts, Twizzlers, Boston brown bread, and sour cream rollout cookies (without icing). She was fierce, funny, and resilient, and we will miss her. Nancy is predeceased by her mother and father, as well as grandson Brant Dunham. She is survived by her brother, Robert Schoonover, and her five children—Mark (Susanne) Dunham, Alena (Carey) Geidel, Roger (Laura) Baerwolf, Beth (Joe) Toner, and Kelli Dunham—as well as 11 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and a wide circle of extended family and friends. A celebration of life will be held at Kingdom Family Church, 700 S. Ridgewood Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida on Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 11 a.m.; the service will also be livestreamed on the church’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KingdomFamilyChurchDaytona. A private burial will follow on May 15, 2021 in Clare, Michigan. Memorials may be made to : Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation, 100 Park Ave., Ste 108, Rockville, Md., 20850, http://www.aamds.org/getinvolved/donate

Nancy J. Dunham-Piper

August 22, 1933 - April 30, 2021