Nancy Shumaker Metzenberg of Federal Way, WA

Nancy attended Soap Lake schools and graduated in 1969. She also attended Highline College and Northwest University. After meeting the love of her life, Steve Metzenberg, they married in 1970. They would have celebrated 55 years of marriage in December.

Nancy was a naturally gifted musician who won various musical awards as a student. She went on to use her talents on staff at Highline Christian Church in Burien, where she was their pianist/organist/keyboardist for 40 years. She also taught music lessons. Over the years she was also a dental lab technician, an administrator at Sunrise Senior Living community on Mercer Island, and worked in various positions at Safeway. Finally, she worked in accounting at A-L Welding Products in Tukwila.

Nancy loved to travel, and especially enjoyed camping with friends in their RV. She loved jeeping off-road, especially in the area of Moab, Utah. In fact, she and Steve loved jeeping so much that they had two jeeps! Bright blue in color, they were easy to spot. She and Steve traveled to Germany and also around the U.S., often taking their grandchildren with them on annual vacations. 

Nancy had health issues during her life, including 44 surgeries, most of which were related to joint issues caused by psoriatic arthritis. Despite this, she always had a cheerful smile and a “can do” attitude. She had great compassion for people who were suffering and was always ready to give practical advice that might help them, leading to her nickname as ‘Nurse Nancy.” She had an infectious laugh and people enjoyed her company. 

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, Merille and Ruth Shumaker. She is survived by her loving husband, Steve Metzenberg, sons Chad Metzenberg (Tara) and Jason Metzenberg, and two grandchildren, Yaz and Neo Metzenberg. She also leaves behind sisters Judy Smith and Lorna Packard, and multiple nieces and nephews. 

A memorial will be held on December 13 at 1:00 at Highline Christian Church in Burien.