Elsye M. Nygard Heath

Elsye Mary Nygard Heath was born in Iron River, Michigan on December 24, 1923, to the late Mary Edla Jakobsson Nygard and John Nygard. She left us on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, after a short battle with a stroke. After graduating from her small town high school, she made her way to Chicago to attend nursing school at St. Luke’s Hospital. As an RN, she was a role model to her sister and girlfriends, who then dared to go out on their own to become nurses. She was very proud of her World War II service in the Cadet Nurses Corps. After the war, she met her future husband, Robert Gardner Heath at the University of Michigan. They married in 1948, and would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in July. Always her own woman, she chose the nickname of Nicki. Nicki was an avid bridge player, reader and crossword puzzle solver. She delighted in watching the Detroit Tigers and any Michigan or Michigan State team play sports. She loved surf fishing at Cape Hatteras, NC, and their month-long stays at Clines Landing in in Port Aransas, TX. Some of our fondest memories are of the family vacations on Sunset Lake in Iron River, MI. She is survived by her husband of 70 years, Robert G. Heath; sister, Gladys Meyers; two daughters, Barbara Heath Coker (Donald T. Coker), Deborah Heath Koonce; three grandsons, Troy Heath Coker, Lyle Austin Koonce (Mary) and Robert T. Koonce (Cortney), two great grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She will return to Iron River, Michigan for burial, and there will be a small Memorial Service for her at Franklin Park Sonterra at 1:00 p.m. on March 17, 2018. In lieu of flowers, donations to Kindred Hospice at 13431 Blanco Road; San Antonio, TX 78216, would be a kindness. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Elsye M. Nygard Heath, please visit our flower store.