The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Nancy Jeanne Ream of Corvallis passed away June 15, at Evergreen Hospice House in Albany, Oregon, within miles of where she was born in Corvallis on June 17, 1950 to Rod and Jeanne Gilstrap. Nancy is loved and missed by family and friends everywhere, but especially in Oregon, Colorado, and Tennessee.

Nancy enjoyed sports as a child, especially horse packing in the Wallowa Mountains. She was proud to have been a National Merit semifinalist and for being selected to attend Girls State while living in Crystal Lake, Illinois. She graduated with her BA in sociology from the University of Illinois in 1971. She obtained her MS in recreation from Cal State Los Angeles in 1977. She met then Air Force Captain Tom Ream in Southern California in 1976. They married in 1978, followed by 45 years together. Nancy thrived as a military spouse, making an impact everywhere the family was based, including California, Ohio (where Megan was born), Texas (where Julie was born), New Jersey, the Philippines, Alabama, and Florida.

After Tom retired from the Air Force in 1994, they lived for a short time in Morgantown, West Virginia, followed by 17 years in Cordova, Tennessee. She finally made it home to Oregon when they moved to Sisters in 2013.

She volunteered in or created countless organizations everywhere she lived. She was especially proud of having served as president of Greater Memphis Greenline, a group which advocated for conversion of an abandoned rail line in Memphis into an urban bike trail. The efforts of this group and others helped transform Memphis from one of the worst places to ride a bicycle into one of the best places to do so in the nation. The group also distributes bicycles and safety equipment and provides safety training to less fortunate children in Memphis.

Nancy loved living in Sisters and enjoying the natural beauty of the Cascades. Her dream was always to go West when Tom retired. Nancy is survived by her loving husband, Tom, her children Megan Ferry (Stu), Julie Christianson (Carl), grandchildren Gale, Teddy, Ruby, and Nate, as well as her siblings Sue Olliffe (Jake), Ted Gilstrap (Pam), Warren Gilstrap (Lynne), brother-in-law Jeff Ream (Kathy), along with nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family and friends.

A memorial service will be held Saturday morning, August 19, at 10:30 a.m. at Corvallis United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Deschutes Land Trust (deschuteslandtrust.org) or to the charity of ones' choice.