Nancy (Fellows) Larson
Nancy (Fellows) Larson passed away, May 3, 2025. She was born in Waukon August 24, 1936 to John and Dorothy (Minteer) Fellows. She had three siblings: Bert (Jan) Fellows, Linda (Jerry) Siegrist and Johnny Fellows.
Nancy was raised in Waterville - a tight knit town of 200 people. She had so many fond memories of growing up in Iowa - a family full of love and laughter, close friends, lots of responsibilities, playing high school basketball (to hear her tell it, she was the best point guard to come out of Iowa until Caitlin Clark!), and the beauty of northeast Iowa.
Nancy attended the University of Iowa for a short time and that is where she went on a blind date with a fellow from Iowa State University and promptly fell in love with Don Larson. They were married in 1957 and moved to Berkeley, CA where Don finished his PhD and Nancy worked in the offices of the School of Engineering at UC-Berkeley.
After Don’s graduation, they moved to Washington, DC, where their two children, Tracy and Eric, were born. In 1965, they made the choice to embrace the world with an overseas career for Don, and their life of adventure began. They lived in East Pakistan/Bangladesh, Pakistan, El Salvador, Kenya, Western Samoa and Bhutan. Nancy turned every place she lived into a home - it was always the gathering place for so many people. She befriended artists, athletes, nuns and aid workers. She volunteered at women’s organizations, participated in theater, drove community events, and lobbied ambassadors and government ministers to start new programs - nothing was impossible.
And she traveled! The Khyber Pass, all of the game parks in Kenya, a camel safari in Pakistan, shikaras in Kashmir, copper mines in Zambia, rice paddies in Bangladesh, the back streets of Nepal, the markets in Calcutta, the Great Wall of China, jewelry stores in Bangkok, martinis at the Mandarin in Hong Kong, the beaches of Apia, and so much more. She loved all of it!
Settling down took Nancy and Don to the Oregon Coast and then to Kirkland, WA to be closer to their kids and to be a part of Shamiana. Nancy’s people and organizational skills made Shamiana hum! Everyone that passed through Shamiana became another family member.
Nancy lived her principles every day. She believed in respect and kindness. She genuinely loved people - all people - and she was interested in everyone; she wanted to know about your life, what you cared about, what your dreams were, what worried you, what made you laugh (so she could laugh with you), and how your family was doing. She took the time to listen.
Nancy loved her family above everything else. She will be missed by many - her family, adopted family and friends. But her memory lives on in our hearts, in all of the stories, and in the legacy of kindness she showed to everyone around her.
