TULSA, Okla. — Nancy Anne Buxton Vanderburg

died peacefully in her home on September 22, 2021, surrounded by loved ones, at the age of 87. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Vance, married 67 years. Mother of five, wife, student, teacher, and volunteer, Nancy lived a life of service. She was born in 1934 in Little Rock, Ark., to parents Frederick and Elizabeth Buxton, graduated Independence High School in 1952, and was married shortly thereafter to Robert “Vance” Vanderburg. Over the next twenty years, they welcomed five children. While keeping busy raising a family, Nancy also had goals to pursue outside the family home. She became quite active in the Presbyterian Church during the mid ’50s, eventually being ordained an elder in 1961 while pregnant with her fourth child.

Her family had the unique experience of living two years during the mid-1960s in Nigeria, where she participated in an ecumenical mission outreach to Nigerians flooding the area for work in the oil pipeline construction industry. She earned a Master of Arts in Sociology in 1978 from University of Tulsa, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Nancy and family became charter members of the experimental “Church of the Advent” PCUSA, serving the downtown area of Tulsa. This “church without walls” established what is now known today as Tulsa Street School as well as the first free clinic. Nancy served as the Executive Director for the YWCA, was a social worker for the Head Start program, and program administrator for several state agencies. The family moved to Eureka Springs in 1978, where Nancy opened and ran Ozark Outdoors.

Nancy and Vance returned to Tulsa in 1984, where they owned and operated Lee’s Bicycles. It was here that Nancy helped bring this well- known, 70- year- old business, into the modern age by installing its first POS system. In 1986, they bought a geodesic dome on Beaver Lake, Ark., where they lived for early retirement before returning to Tulsa in 2013. Nancy and Vance looked forward to the occasional road trips, often finding their way to Ghost Ranch, N.M. It was here that Nancy found time to fellowship with her Presbyterian family and recharge her spiritual batteries. Her love of the desert Southwest was reflected in her personal style. Nancy was also a great cook and avid reader.

Nancy is survived by her children, Marshall Vanderburg and wife, Janine with grandchildren, Jeanne and Jacqueline; Tracy Diane, Jennifer Campbell and husband, Jim with grandchildren, Peter, Andrew, and Allison and great-grandson, Logan; Adam Vanderburg and wife, Elaine Tinsley, with grandchildren, Moriah and Nicole; Lydia Vanderburg and husband, Scott Bartholomew; and brother, Mike and wife, Debbie Buxton. Preceded in death by parents, and younger sister, Mary Beth Buxton.

Memorial Gifts may be made to Austin Seminary College, College Hill Presbyterian Church Tulsa, Okla., or to the Greater Tulsa Mental Health Association.

Memorial services will be scheduled before the end of this year