Nancy J. Townsend, 82, of Traverse City died in the evening of February 17, 2022 surrounded by her loving family.

Born on November 13, 1939 in Duluth, MN to the late Clarence O. and Harriett (Geisert) Staubs, she spent her childhood growing up in Duluth until she married the love of her life, Ray C. Townsend on January 28, 1961. They soon after moved to Antigo, WI where they started their family and had two children, Cheryl and Michael. Due to Ray's job in the US Air Force, they moved to Sault Ste. Marie, MI where they lived over 20 years until they were relocated to Traverse City, MI in 1985. Ray was fortunate to retire in his early years from FAA and Nancy was able to enjoy many years of traveling and spending winters in Arizona and Florida, sharing good times with many lifetime friends until 2009 when Ray passed away.

Nancy will fondly be remembered as a wonderful wife, mother, grandma, sister and friend. She was proud to be a lifelong member of Weight Watchers and taught classes in Canada and Traverse City. She was also a proud member of Central United Methodist Church. Fellowship, prayer and being grateful were positive influences in her life.

Nancy cherished her relationships with her family and friends. It was important to her to make memories. She enjoyed family gatherings on Silver Lake, sitting on her porch listening to the birds with her sister, playing cards on Mondays and enjoying the many lunch dates with her special friends, watching the Detroit Tigers and attending the many sporting events her grandchildren Amber and Patrick were involved in. In 2015, her family (Tigers fans) and her sister's family (Twin's fans) left Duluth and traveled to Target Field to watch the two teams play against each other, making it one of the highlights in her life.

She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl (Scott) Brautigam of Lake Ann; son, Mike (Lisa) Townsend of Grawn; grandchildren Amber Brautigam, of Grand Rapids; Patrick Brautigam of Lake Ann; step granddaughter, Jocelyn (Cam) Hoy, step great- grandchildren, Holden and Griffin Hoy, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Sister, Pat (Ed) Luck, of Cloquet MN; sisters-in-law, Lois (Don) Wilcox, of Menomonee Falls, WI and Lenore (Wes) Raivala of Brule, WI along with many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held from 5 to 8 at the Botanical Gardens on Friday, May 13, 2022.

Burial will follow Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 11 am at Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens.

Memorial contributions in Nancy's memory may be directed to Hospice of Michigan, 10850 E. Traverse Hwy. STE. 1155, Traverse City, MI 49684. The family would like to extend their deep appreciation to Hospice of Michigan and French Manor Terra for their loving care and comforting guidance

Live in peace…be insightful, intentional and take time to make everlasting memories with the ones you love.