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Nancy Ellen MOTZER

Female 1934 - 2015  (80 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Nancy Ellen MOTZER 
    Birth 20 Sep 1934  Central Township, Bond, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    • on her parents’ farm near Greenville
    Gender Female 
    Residence 16 Oct 2010  Plainwell, Allegan, Michigan, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Education B.A., Greenville College, 1956 
    Occupation Choir Director 
    Occupation Music Teacher 
    Death 2 Jun 2015  Kittery, York, Maine, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    • at Durgin Pines
    Person ID I50966  Dyal and Speckels
    Last Modified 21 Jul 2017 

    Family Ormand John LEFEVER,   b. 21 Sep 1924, Pana, Christian, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 15 Nov 1994, Allegan, Allegan, Michigan, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 70 years) 
    Marriage 1956  [1
    Children 
    +1. Living
    Family ID F33622  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 21 Jul 2017 

  • Notes 
    • “Inspired by her great-uncle, Cocoa Oloran Traylor, a choir and band director, at an early age Nancy developed a passion for music, and was involved in both performing and teaching throughout her life. She began her education at the one-room Sinai School near her childhood home, and continued at Greenville High School. Keen to develop her clear soprano voice, she attended Greenville College, majoring in vocal performance and music education, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1956.

      “That same year she married Ormand John Lefever, a ministerial and education student from Pana, Illinois who also attended Greenville College. Together they followed a path of teaching and ministering for the spiritual edification of others.

      “Nancy, in particular, worked at the National Music Camp, Interlochen, Michigan in the late 1950s, and taught music in both public and private schools in Illinois, North Carolina, and Michigan.

      “But perhaps her most rewarding service, from 1956 to 2012 was directing choirs including those of Auburn Public Schools, Auburn, Illinois; Altamont Public Schools, Altamont, Illinois; Bond County Community Schools, Greenville, Illinois; First Baptist Church, Pana, Illinois; Tabernacle Baptist Church and Wilson Christian Academy, Wilson, North Carolina; First Baptist Church, Holland, Michigan; Community Reformed Church, Zeeland, Michigan; Overisel Reformed Church, Overisel, Michigan; First Reformed Church, Kalamazoo, Michigan; and First Baptist Church, Plainwell, Michigan.

      “She was a member of the Holland Chorale in Holland, Michigan in the 1980s and 1990s, which provided her with the opportunity to perform solos for major American and British directors and composers. As a member of Holland's Evergreen Chorale in the 2000s, twice she toured with the group and sang in cathedrals and churches from Italy to France, Germany, and The Netherlands.

      “Husband Ormand passed away in 1994, and Nancy continued being active in her community, gardening, and living in her home on the Kalamazoo River in Plainwell. In 2012 she retired from choir directing and moved from Michigan to Maine to be near her children.” [1]

  • Sources 
    1. [S2868] Saturday, June 6, 2015.

    2. [S2867] Thursday, December 16, 2010.