Nancy (Balch) Fischer

1930 - 2020

Nancy Balch Fischer, loving daughter, mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother passed away in her home at the Magnolia of Millbrae on July 4. The only child of Carl Stiles Balch and Gertrude Jensen Balch, Nancy was born in Los Gatos, graduated from Burlingame High School and University of California at Berkeley. Throughout her lifetime she remained an active member of the alumni associations of Burlingame High School, Chi Omega sorority and UC Berkeley. A trip to Europe with a student tour group inspired further travel and lifelong correspondence with relatives in Denmark and England. A blind date with Longueville Howe Price, Jr. led to marriage in November 1954, and the couple made their home in San Francisco for two years before moving to San Mateo, where Nancy delighted in raising their four children. Energetic and outgoing, Nancy loved cooking, entertaining and social gatherings of all kinds. She served as Girl Scout Troop Leader, active member of the parent-teacher association, and President of St. Dorothy’s Section of the League for Service at the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew, where she was a devoted parishioner. A keen amateur photographer, Nancy explored the landscape of her native state on foot and by automobile and was a generous supporter of organizations dedicated to preserving California’s flora, fauna, parks and open space. Her second marriage to Clair Alan Fischer, in 1981, expanded Nancy’s family to include his two children and two generations of Labrador Retrievers. After Alan’s death in 1997, Nancy attended her Burlingame High School’s 50th reunion, where she met Edwin “Bud” Purtell, with whom she spent 16 happy years before Bud passed away in 2015. Blessed with an astounding memory for concrete detail, Nancy delighted in recounting a never-ending supply of anecdotes and stories. She was never at a loss for words, and always ready to lend a helping hand. Nancy remembered family and friends on every occasion, marking birthdays, anniversaries and holidays with gifts, cards and phone calls, eager to offer love and good cheer. She will be greatly missed by many. A special thanks to the caring staff at The Magnolia. Memorial donations may be made to: The Trust for Public Land, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Sempervirens Fund, or an organization of your choice.