Nancy Jane McNaron

Nancy Jane McNaron, 82, retired Maury County teacher and resident of Columbia, died Friday, August 25, 2017, at Brookdale Assisted Living. Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday at 12:00 P.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Tony Lancaster and Jan Niedringhaus officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Monday from 4:00 - 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials to Culleoka Alumni Scholarship Association, c/o First Farmers Bank, Attn: Judy Hickman, P. O. Box 1148, Columbia, TN 38402. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. Born December 30, 1934 in Anniston, Alabama, she was the daughter of the late Joseph Ralph McNaron and the late Jewell Ethyl Sheid McNaron. Having moved to Columbia in 1945, Miss McNaron attended Riverside Elementary School, Whitthorne Junior High School, and was a 1953 graduate of Columbia Central High School. In 1957, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Psychology from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, where she was on the honor roll and a member of Phi Mu Sorority and the Student Christian Association. In 1954, she was selected as one of three "Chautauqua scholarship girls" by the Tennessee Branch of King's Daughters. After graduation Miss McNaron was employed two years at the Dept. of Human Services and was past district director of Central Kentucky Girl Scouts Council prior to beginning her teaching career at Culleoka High School, where she taught from 1962 - 2010. For approximately fifteen years, she and Joe Mason taught the first co-educational elementary P.E. class. She also coached Junior High basketball for twelve years. After being moved into the classroom, she taught 7th and 8th grade English and also taught 4th grade for a few years. She was one of the first certified driver's education teachers in Maury County. In 1995, she received the President's Award for her outstanding dedication to the Culleoka PTA and making the welfare of children a priority in her life. There is also a hallway at the school named in her honor. Miss McNaron received several other awards during her extended teaching career, including 1993-1994 Outstanding High School Teacher by the Tennessee Congress of Parents and Teachers, 1994 Outstanding High School Teacher by the Tennessee PTA, 1996 Secondary Teacher of the Year by Tennessee State Parent Teacher Association, 2005-2006 4-H Teacher of the Year, and 2009 System Level Teacher of The Year 5th & 8th Grades by Maury County Public Schools. She was an avid reader and also enjoyed doing videography for Middle Tennessee Walking Horse Association for several years. She was a member of the Maury County Retired Teachers Association, former Board Member of the Civil Service, and member of the Board of Culleoka Alumni Association. Miss McNaron was baptized into Central Christian Church Disciples of Christ. She was a former adult sponsor of Christian Youth Fellowship at Central Christian Church and former youth counsellor for the Tennessee District of Christian Churches. Survivors include her sister, Carleton McNaron Wright of Columbia; nieces, Leigh Ann (Holly) Haddock of Columbia; and special friends, Mike Brown of Ethridge and Jan Niedringhaus of Santa Fe. She had a very devoted canine companion, her rat terrior/chihuahua mix named Snow, who preceded her in death. Active pallbearers will be Michael Johnson, Alpha Jo Luallen, Mike Brown, Rodney McKee, Jan Niedringhaus, and Rodney Owens. Honorary pallbearers will be Betty & Kenny Rankin, Harry Underwood, Hardy & Dolly Loyd, Mildred & Cindy Coffman, Burton Whiteside, Kathy & Earl Sirak, Chuck Niedringhaus, Dena Ray, Dr. Phillip Haynes, Mary Ruth & Ed Campbell, Doyle Parham, and the Culleoka Class of 1972. The family would like to express a special thank you to Brookdale Assisted Living and Avalon Hospice.