Nancye Schumann Sweet

July 2, 1946 - March 17, 2022

Nancye Schumann Sweet 1946-2022 NANCYE SCHUMANN SWEET, age 75, passed away on March 17, 2022, in Sandy, Utah due to the effects of vascular dementia. Nancye was born on July 2, 1946, in Washington, D.C. to Margaret Jane DeLashmutt and Richard Gable Schumann. She grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on the banks of the Potomac River, next door to Fort Foote. Her favorite childhood memories included playing near the river, participating in Campfire Girls and Girl Scouts, and attending summer camp at Camp Mawavi in Triangle, Virginia. She fondly recalled attending summertime Marine Band concerts at the U.S. Capital, sitting on her dad’s French Horn case, guarded by her dachshund, while her dad performed as part of “The President’s Own.” Nancye followed her father’s footsteps in all things musical. With her lovely soprano voice and perfect pitch, she became a soloist in the Oxon Hill Methodist Church choir. She likewise took up the French Horn, became first chair in the Oxon Hill High School band, and earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of Maryland. Nancye married Don Michael Sweet in 1967. They lived first in Oxon Hill before moving to McLean and then Great Falls, Virginia. They became the parents of three children, Donna Michelle, David Matthew, and Danielle Meredith. Together, they built a beautiful life for 21 years until Don passed away from cancer in 1988. Nancye married Jay Harden, a widower who had also lost his spouse to cancer, in 1992. They divorced in 1997. As a mother, Nancye devoted herself to her children. She poured her time and income into cultivating her children’s talents and interests: photography, dirt bikes, and trumpet for David and ballet, violin, piano, horses, cheerleading, and theater for Danielle. She drove them all over town to lessons, events, and recitals, and sacrificed her own interests to give her children everything she could. She made dinner from scratch every night and sewed many special outfits for the first day of school. Nancye loved to entertain. Holidays at her home meant days of polishing silver and ironing tablecloths and napkins to make sure the ornate table settings were just right, down to the candles in the oversize silver candelabras and the perfect gravy topping a delectable meal. Nancye took up a career in residential real estate in the 1970s to allow her a flexible schedule while raising her young children. She was so proud of her career and her status as a Virginian that after living in Nevada for over a decade, she still kept personalized Virginia license tags on her car that read, “WHY RENT.” Nancye was a culture carrier. She was fiercely proud of her heritage in our nation’s capital and the Marine Band. Every summer, we attended an Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks at 8th and I. She would get special reservations by explaining that her father had been a member of the Band so we were personally escorted to the best seats. Now her grandchildren know and love the Sousa marches, the Drum and Bugle Corps, the Silent Drill Platoon, and Corporal Chesty, the Marine Barracks mascot. Every time she watched an orchestra or band play, right up to the end of her life, she would pass judgment on the conductor, nodding “Oh yes! He’s very good!” Then she’d share that she had played that piece “many, many times.” And when the horns played their first note, she would exclaim, “Hear the horns?!” Nancye cherished family history and kept alive the memories of people, places, family traditions, and important events while instilling that devotion in her children and grandchildren. She amassed large collections of many beautiful things, all carefully tied to sentimental memories. Nancye’s devotion to her family was what piqued her interest in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Having lost her newborn daughter Donna Michelle in 1969, the message of forever families gripped her heart. She and Don were baptized in 1974, and she proudly served as a guide in the Washington, D.C. Temple prior to its dedication. Her family was sealed for all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple in 1994. Nancye loved the great outdoors. Her favorite places were the Potomac River and Bethany Beach, Delaware. For over 35 summers, she kept a home away from home at a little campground called Tuckahoe Acres on the Indian River Inlet near Bethany Beach that allowed her ample time to bask in the sunshine. She was always up for yard work and loved to beautify her home and surroundings. She loved to hike long trails and was proud that she had braved the chains and heights to reach the top of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park. Even late into her dementia, she loved to admire the clouds and beautiful sunsets, and would point out the “striations” of color in the fading light. She loved gathering pinecones and carefully curated her collection to include only the best ones. Nancye adored and was endlessly proud of her grandchildren, Emma (Jaden Bowerbank), Hattie, Liam, Tessa, and Bonnie Ellis. She moved from Leesburg, Virginia, to Henderson, Nevada, in 2004 to be close to them, and then followed them to Sandy, Utah, in 2020. She enjoyed attending Sunday dinners, birthday parties, and all types of concerts, plays, and events to celebrate their accomplishments. Nancye adored animals and was always ready to take in strays. Over the years, her menagerie included ducks (in suburban McLean!), rabbits, many cats and dogs, gerbils, and even several horses for her daughter. She loved tending to her children’s cats, dogs, and chickens too! Nancye was a shining example of the song, “make new friends, but keep the old.” She built a wide circle of devoted friends, and she took great care to cultivate and nurture relationships. Her family called her “Party Nancye” because she was a gracious hostess whose energy came from meeting and learning about new people. During her retirement years in Henderson, she made friends at church and through an RV club, travel group, Jaguar (car) club, bocce ball team, and bunco group. Meanwhile, she still kept up with her friends from childhood, high school, real estate, single parent and grief groups, Tuckahoe, and more. Nancye was known throughout her life for her charm, creativity, and zest for life. Even as she began to struggle with dementia in Sandy, she was remembered for her warm smile, wonderful laugh, and ability to connect with others. Nancye is survived by her younger brother Rick Schumann (Mary) of Washington, New Jersey, son David, daughter Danielle and son-in-law Dave Ellis, five grandchildren, and precious Maltipoo Chloe. She was preceded in death by her husband Don Sweet, parents (Jane & Don Moore, Richard & Ernestine Schumann), and infant daughter Donna Michelle. Nancye’s memorial service will be held on Friday, April 8, 2022, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse at 9636 South 1700 East, Sandy, UT at 10:00 a.m. MDT. Those outside the area can join via Zoom link. - Meeting ID: 834 6626 7111 / Passcode: 0Y3eyp Nancye will be interred with her husband Don at Arlington National Cemetery, joining her father and two sets of grandparents (Pearl & Clifford DeLashmutt and Florence & Edgar Olson) to be the seventh member of the family laid to rest in that sacred place. Due to a scheduling backlog, the interment will take place in late summer 2023.