Nancy Watkins Dunham passed away on July 24, 2024, at the age of 81. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, cherished grandmother, kind and generous community leader, and beloved friend to many.

She was born on January 22, 1943, to Emily (Gross) and Forrest Watkins in Winfield, Kansas, where her father was stationed at Strother Army Airfield for pilot training during World War II. The family returned to Pennsylvania and eventually settled in Port Allegany, where her mother worked as a teacher and her father as the high school guidance counselor.

Nancy graduated from Port Allegany High School in 1960 and from Allegheny College in 1964 with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She loved her years at Allegheny and met lifelong friends there. While at Allegheny she participated in Singers, the college choir. It is through her participation in the choir that she met her husband John Dunham while attending a Singers reunion concert in Emporium, PA. They shared a love of music and continued to participate in college choir reunions together and support their college and the music program.

John and Nancy lived in Wellsboro where John worked for the family-owned business Dunham’s Department Store. They were married on Sunday, July 21, 1968, a day and date chosen because the store was closed on Sundays. Nancy had not planned to work at the family store but offered to work one day when an employee left unexpectedly, thus beginning an over 50-year career as a manager, buyer, and then owner of Dunham’s. She became a constant presence at the store, helping generations of shoppers pick out the perfect purchase while also managing other aspects of the business. Many remember visiting with Nancy and John at the store and in the coffee shop, where they connected with customers and spent time with friends.

Nancy dedicated her life’s work not only to the store, but also to Wellsboro as a whole, becoming active in a variety of civic and social organizations, including several foreign exchange student programs. Through these programs Nancy and John opened their home to many exchange students, creating lifelong bonds as some became like her own children.

Throughout her life Nancy loved to travel, easily making friends wherever she went and serving as a loyal ambassador for Wellsboro. Just this year she was able to attend her 60^th college reunion and take an extended trip to visit family in Costa Rica. Most recently in June, Nancy joined her brother and sister-in-law Ed and Chris Watkins on a 4,400-mile road trip to visit and reconnect with dozens of friends and relatives whom she had not seen for many years. One stop on this trip was Nancy’s birthplace of Winfield, Kansas, where Ed and Nancy visited the historical society and helped identify an unmarked photo of their father in his aircraft taken at Strother Army Airfield during his training.

Nancy loved puzzles, reading, playing the piano, singing, and Broadway musicals. She delighted in family game night where she was nearly unbeatable in every word game. She remained steadfastly loyal to her birth state of Kansas, including a love of sunflowers and the Kansas University Jayhawks basketball team. The Christmas season held a special place in Nancy’s heart. She shared her love of the holiday by decorating every corner of her home, hosting Christmas parties, and taking her grandchildren Christmas shopping each year.

Nancy is preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her nephew Peter Dunham, and step-mother Lucile Ross Watkins. She is survived by her daughters Ellen Dunham Bryant (Shawn) and Ann Dunham Rawson (Joe) of Wellsboro, four grandchildren Madeline Wotherspoon Bryant, Jack Dunham Bryant, Katherine Nickerson Bryant, Jeff Robert Rawson, all of Wellsboro, a brother Edward K. Watkins (Christine) and family of Connecticut, nieces and nephews R. James Dunham, III (Dianne) of Wellsboro, Bruce Dunham (Carol) of Maryland, Judy Dunham Shaal of Ohio, and many other cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition, she is survived by exchange students who became like family including Kathia Chacon “Kitty” (Juan Carlos) of Costa Rica and Hector Hernandez (Tammy) and their children Marisa (Tanner), Alexandra, and Nathanial of Kentucky.

A public memorial service honoring Nancy’s life will be held on Monday, August 5, at 11:00 a.m. at the Wellsboro United Methodist Church. At this memorial, family and friends will also remember the life of Nancy’s husband John Dunham, for whom the family held a small private service instead of a public memorial at the time of his death during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a fitting tribute to their partnership that their lives can be remembered together in this way.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Wellsboro United Methodist Church, 36 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901 or to the Dunham Scholarship at Allegheny College, 520 N. Main Street, Box 21, Meadville, PA 16335, which provides funding to students from Tioga County and the surrounding area who attend Allegheny College.  Nancy’s arrangements have been entrusted to the Tussey-Mosher Funeral Home,139 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA.  To share a memory or condolence with her family visit www.tusseymosher.com.