BIDDEFORD- Nancy M. Cooper grew up in the West End of Portland with her four brothers Billy, Dicky, Joseph, and Gary. She also had three other older siblings who were grown by the time Nancy was born; Gerry, Constance and Shirley. Nancy attended Catholic schools in her youth by her, “very Catholic” mother Marie. There she developed a disdain for the color green because it was the color of her school uniform and that lasted into her adult life. When she reached high school she was given the choice of whether to attend public or religious studies and she chose the former.
As a young woman Nancy was a self-admitted, “daddy’s girl”, but after her father died of cancer while she was pregnant at the age of 17, Nancy became very close with her mother, Marie. She was also close with her sister’s-in-law Ellie, Sue and Sharon. She also remained in close contact with her best childhood friend, Sharon Burns. The two had many adventures together, most of them kept secret between the two with a knowing look and giggle; however, Sharon does admit that Nancy taught her how to smoke.
Nancy was to marry four times; Ray McIntosh, Kenny Freeman, Butch Stanley and Bernie Herring. Her children from these unions are Billy McIntosh, Holly Freeman, and Krissy Stanley. Her children were perhaps her fondest legacy in addition to the time that she spent camping, traveling and exploring with her husband Bernie in her later years.
In addition to being a fiercely protective mother and homemaker, Nancy worked at Bradlee’s, Home Quarters and Shop and Save. She also spent many years self-employed as a cab driver in Portland. She enjoyed this job the most due to the freedom of it and the fact that she could work with her brothers doing so.
Growing up on Front St. in Portland, many of the neighborhood kids called her, “mom” and would stop in to raid the refrigerator for the snacks and goodies that seemed to be in endless supply. Angela Jackson, Donny LeClair, and the Matthew’s boys were just a few of these. She was glad that the neighborhood kids would stop in to her home because that meant, “she knew where her kids were.” That is, until one day she came home and found her son’s friend Dana Matthews napping in her daughter Holly’s bed. That wasn’t quite so cool, Nancy would say, and she chased him out of the house.
Nancy loved soft gambling. She hosted many summer BBQ’s and poker games in her back yard and loved to play bingo with her mother and her girlfriends. She attempted to instill a love of the game in her children by dragging them to the bingo hall with her. Her youngest Krissy, was traumatized when her mother made her go to the local bingo hall dressed as, “half man and half woman” for Halloween one year in middle school. While bingo was not a love for her children, scratch tickets were.
When Nancy hit her forties she had the onset of heart disease and diabetes. During this time she lived with her daughter Holly who was not only her daughter but best friend. In her life she had fourteen heart attacks, quadruple bypass, a stroke, diabetes as well as various other maladies. Despite this she looked death in the face multiple time and said flat out, “no”, I’m not ready. On Sunday March 7, 2019, after a brief hospitalization death stopped listening to her voice. She died quite suddenly and unexpectedly and slipped away. Thankfully, her son Billy and her daughter Holly were by her side.
Nancy is the predeceased by her parents William F. Cooper and Marie C. Roi, and by her sister Constance and Shirley and brother Dicky. She is survived by her three brothers William and his wife Debbie, Joseph and his wife Susan, her sister-in-law Ellie and her brother Gary and his wife Sharon. She is also survived by her three children Billy McIntosh and his wife Karen, and her daughters Holly Freeman and Kris “Krissy” Stanley. She also had multiple nieces and nephews; Billy, Occyn, Amy, Nate, Michael, Ray, Chad, Sabrina, Shane and Vicki-Lee as well as grandchildren Michael, Geoffrey and Damian. She also had her side-kick kitty “Tuxedo” and cockatiel, “Desi”. She loved many deeply and even if she didn’t say it very often you knew it was true.
In lieu of flowers her children are requesting that you give them a memory of their mother. If you have pictures or stories to share about her please post them here or send them to one of the means of communications posted below. May the life of our mother Nancy remind you how blessed we are to have mothers and remind you to hug and love the mothers that are in your life. For those of you have lost your mother’s, we are sorry for that pain. May God’s peace be with you and with us as we live into this new normal. Thank you god for the best mother we could ever have- may we be as strong as she was.
A memorial service for Nancy will be held on her birthday July, 8, 2019. If you are interested in attending please contact us and let us know via the contact information below.
207.400.7446/ 207.747.9532
[email protected]/ [email protected]
Arrangements are with Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, www.mainefuneral.com