Tribute to Nancy Blevins

Trying to think of appropriate words to write as a tribute to Nancy Dickerson Blevins is no small task. I have known and loved Nancy since we were both very young. Nancy has always been a humble and gracious person who had enough talent that would have given others a very large ego, but Nancy always kept her life focused on a higher plane. She was probably the most all around talented person that our small town of Damascus has ever seen.

I can remember when we were in high school and there was a need for artwork for our school paper or for our high school yearbooks there was no question who would do it. She was very talented with art and music. And even with all of her talent, she was always kind and nice to everyone.

After high school, she married Fred Blevins and started their family. Later Nancy began her cake-baking days. For this she was known far and wide in this area. Orders would be placed giving Nancy an idea of what was wanted on the cakes and all of those receiving these cakes would receive a picture on top that was a work of art. And all of this was before computerization such as bakeries can now use to scan real photos for the top of cakes. Nancy’s cakes were much better because they were each very personalized and no two cakes were alike.

All the while, Nancy was serving her God through a ministry of music at First Baptist Church as well as serving in various other positions working with the church youth or wherever she was needed. Nancy’s ministry of music touched many lives with her service at funerals and weddings as well as the services of the church. And yet she managed to balance her role of wife and mother with her working career as well as her music and art and do all of these jobs well.

I often told Nancy that had she had the opportunity for art lessons early in life as she was privileged to do in later years, there was no telling where her art would have taken her. But that was not God’s plan. His plan was evidently for our small town to have this great talent here in our midst to enjoy.

And many of us did share in that wealth and enjoy her work.

When the Town Council decided in 2002 to get nice pictures for the meeting room in the Town Hall, Nancy’s name was recommended. So Nancy was approached to commission pictures that would be meaningful to hang in the Hall. The four beautiful pictures, the old railroad station, Damascus High School building, the old bank building and Laurel Avenue in the early 1950’s are treasured by many. The pictures of Laurel Avenue in the early 50’s was chosen for the official Trail Days tee shirt in 2003 and was the most popular shirt we have had.

Nancy had hoped to do one more picture for the town – a scene looking at the other side of Laurel Avenue in the same era as the 50’s scene but she became ill before that could be done.

When the news was heard that Nancy was suffering from a malignancy, everyone who knew her suffered with her and the family. Friends could not believe that we would soon not have her with us and many prayers were said and we all kept hoping that God would send a miracle and we would not see her pass from us.

Nancy had given us an example of how to live for God all of her life and she showed us how to die and go to meet our maker. Her family and friends miss her terribly but we all know that we have an angel looking down on us and the stars shine brighter because she is in her heavenly home.

--Shirley Harris Brand