Nancy Jane Odendhal

Nancy Jane Hyre Odendhal died in Johnson City, Tennessee, on October 23, 2009. She was born in Knoxville, TN, to Russell A. and Harriet Cruit Hyre. She grew up in Newark, Delaware, graduating from Newark High School. A life-long student, Nancy received her Batchelors degree in Nursing from Duke University. She went on to earn a Masters in Social Work at the University of West Virginia and a Masters in Nursing from the University of Virginia. Nancys professional career included working as a social worker, nursing, teaching nursing students and teaching medical students at East Tennessee State University. Nancy loved nature. Her many outdoor activities included hiking, skiing, and kayaking. She championed environmental causes, working especially for clean waterways. She enjoyed traveling with her friends to such places as Russia, The British Isles, Maine and Alaska. Nancy is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Lois Hyre and Samuel Andrews, of Houston, Texas. Also surviving are her nephew Robert Allen Hundza and his wife, Gina, their children Richard and Gabriella Hundza, of Dallas, Texas; also, a close circle of friends who cared for her in her last months. A memorial service to celebrate Nancys life will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, 119 West F Street, on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. The Rev. John A. Shuck will officiate. Memorials may be made in the form of contributions to: Friends of Roan Mountain, c/o Anne Whittemore, Treasurer, 208 Mark Drive, Gray, TN 37615 or Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy, 34 Wall Street, Suite 502, Asheville, NC 28801.