Nancy’s life spent inspiring others
Go-getter 80-year-old refused to let any barriers slow her down
An eagerness to help others and a refusal to let barriers slow her down were the overwhelming themes of Nancy Langton’s life. The 80-year-old lost her battle with ovarian cancer on April 28 but continued to defy the odds and inspire others right to the end.
As her daughter Jenny Langton told the Bay of Plenty Times, Nancy was a woman who refused to be put in a box.
Just months ago, in February, Nancy achieved an incredible feat.
Despite being 80 and in the palliative care stage of ovarian cancer, she signed up to complete the 10km cycle as part of a team at the Generation Homes Women’s Triathlon in Mount Maunganui.
Speaking after the event, she said: “We all ran in together and we did a very respectable time. I felt like I could do it all over again, I was absolutely buzzing, the adrenaline was surging through my body. I felt great.”
Her daughter Elissa, who completed the swimming section, said her mum had always lived life to the fullest, having an impact on many others along the way. “It was interesting [at the funeral], inspirational was the word that kept coming up when people spoke about her.
“She led by example all the way to the very end, as she did with the triathlon recently.
“We are really pleased she got to tick some of those last bucket-list things off her list. Most things she set out to achieve, she achieved.
“She never took no for an answer. If she wanted to do something, she would find a way to make it happen. She could cajole other people to get involved and that’s part of what I mean by inspirational. She brings other people along on the ride and inspires them to do their own thing as well.”
Elissa said, as a mother, Nancy was supportive and dedicated.
“Anything that we were into or wanted to do, she was there to nurture that and we had the opportunity to develop our interests,” she said.
Nancy never let her daughters believe there was anything they couldn’t do.
“She taught us if you want to do something, go out and do it, don’t let anything get in your way,” Elissa said.
“You don’t want to regret, you go out there and you live life. Experience what you can, learn what you can, put yourself among different people, and learn about them, which in turn helps you learn about yourself.”
A trained teacher, Nancy was heavily involved in her community, drawn towards activities in which she could teach or help others.
“She was committed to community development and education from children through to adults,” Jenny said. “She taught adult literacy and worked for a while with adults with intellectual disabilities, the IHC, lots of work supporting people and helping them into the community. She did a lot of things.
“She retrained in massage therapy, homeopathy, and reflexology in later life. She continued to do that right to the end — she did her last massage with a client probably five weeks ago.”
Nancy’s daughters said she built relationships with all the people she worked with and took just as much from those experiences as they did.
“That’s what she enjoyed, giving back to people,” Jenny said.
Nancy was also involved in the election campaigns of local Labour candidates Angie Warren-clark and Jan Tinetti.
Warren-clark paid tribute to her friend on Facebook this week.
“Today I am not in Parliament,” the post said. “I am here in Taurangamoana to mourn and celebrate the life of my dear friend Nancy Langton, who left us Wednesday 28 April. Gone too soon dear heart, gone too soon.” ■ Nancy was the loved sweetheart and wife of Russell. Much-loved mum of Elissa, Jenny, and Michael and mum-in-law of Jules, and beloved Nannie of Devlin and Delamare.