Nancy Lynn Roos (Rydbom)

Nancy Roos (aka Nan) died peacefully on Sunday, August 9, 2015 in her Medford home of twenty years. She was 62 years old, but she'd be the first to tell you she could pass for someone much younger.
A few a Nan's favorite things were watching movies, decorating, fashion, and shopping. She was the ultimate girly-girl. Nan coined the term "fab" years before it became mainstream. Everything she did was larger than life and very "fab." From her shoes to her clothes to her hair, she was always done up and stylish. Nan had a bubbly and big personality. She lit up any room she walked in to. From her beautiful smile to her over-the-top outfits, her presence was always known. She was clever, funny, and sassya true firecracker deserving of her 4th of July birthday.
On July 4, 1953 this darling blonde haired, blue eyed, 100% Swedish girl was born. Young Nancy enjoyed playing with her dolls, Wendy and Patty-Play-Pal, and riding around with her dog in her Surrey bicycle. She developed a love for suspense and mystery by reading all of the Nancy Drew books. Always a fan of fashion, young Nancy would often walk herself to the closest drug store to buy lipstick. In high school, she won the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) award for her cooking, something she would remind her daughters of frequently. She was the Captain of the San Marino High School Drill Team and marched in the Rose Parade. Decades later, she still remembered all the drill team routines that she had choreographed.
Ever the proponent of healthy teeth, Nancy got her Associate of Arts degree from Pasadena Community College to become a dental assistant. She worked for 6 years as a dental assistant and loved dentistry. Years later she was extraordinarily proud when one of her daughters carried on her passion for healthy teeth and became a dental hygienist.
In 1979, Nancy met and fell in love with a sweet accountant named Jerry Roos. They were introduced by mutual friends. On their first date, he picked her up in his blue 1970 911T Porsche. Just a few months after meeting, they were married at the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas. Afterwards they enjoyed a honeymoon in Hawaii, a destination they would later frequent with their children. Back in Hawaii in 2004, Nancy and Jerry renewed their vows together on Maui for their 25th wedding anniversary.
There was nothing that Nan loved more than being a mom. She and Jerry raised 5 children together: Matthew, Kristin, Jennifer, Amy, and Michael. It was very important to her that all her children have a relationship with Jesus. She led them to the Lord and she put them all in Christian Schools. As a stay-at-home-mom, she was very involved in their lives. From being a Brownie leader, to a class mom, to a chauffeur, she loved every minute of it. She'd like to note that despite having 5 children to cart around, she never subjected herself to driving a mini-van. In addition to packing her kids' lunches every day, she would include a sweet personalized note to each child, telling them how much she loved them. Nan was always concerned about her children's health, fearing one of them would catch a cold and spread it to the rest of the family. Nan made sure her kids wore long sleeves and outerwear even when they lived in warm, sunny California. All the other kids at school wore short sleeves and shorts, but Nan's kids were in sweaters, pants, and heavy jackets. No kid was going to get sick on her watch. In the summers when the kids were off school she and Jerry enjoyed taking the family on long trips to the Grand Canyon, Canada, and the majority of the Western states.
In 1988, after a chance meeting with the local San Marino Fire Department and hearing about how they needed help with a burn foundation fundraiser, Nan eagerly stepped up to assist. She helped start the annual Pancake Breakfast in San Marino, the proceeds of which went to support the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. In addition to food, this family-friendly fundraiser featured a hot air balloon, local celebrities, bands, and the Quaker Shaker, a mobile earthquake simulator. She was featured in the local news and San Marino Tribune for her efforts and to raise awareness about the event. This fundraiser continues to this day with many of the same activities and events she first introduced almost 20 years ago.
In 1995, Jerry and Nancy packed up their house, 5 kids, 2 dogs, 2 rabbits, and 1 cat and moved from San Marino, California to Medford, Oregon. While there, Nancy really embraced the "country" theme of her new house which was designed after Southfork from the show "Dallas." She decked out the house with dozens of knickknack chickens and roosters, the frequency of which made her children describe them as "Chicken Idols." She enjoyed living on 40 acres and having livestock graze in the fields. Despite only weighing around 100 pounds, whenever the cows got out, little Nan would yell at them and they'd run back into the fields.
Nancy loved holidays and was happiest when she was surrounded by her family. She loved going above and beyond at Christmastime, practically redecorating the entire house to make it look like a Christmas catalog. She also loved celebrating birthdays. Each child had a themed birthday party with a coordinating cake which she baked along with a matching piata. Nan loved that her own birthday was the 4th of July. She thought the whole nation should celebrate her special day and unbeknownst to the rest of America, they did.
Nancy was extremely proud of her children and liked to brag about them to everyone she knew along with random strangers she came in contact with. All 5 kids graduated college and went on to get career jobs. Most recently she saw her youngest child, Michael, graduate from Oregon State University in June this year. She saw her 3 oldest children marry and was ecstatic to become a grandmother in 2011 with the birth of Emily, and again in 2013 with her second grandchild, Samantha. The grandchildren lovingly refer to her as "Gaga." She and Emily were especially close and could look at magazines, watch movies, and talk about makeup and jewelry together for hours. A girl after her grandmother's heart, Emily and Nan shared a special bond.
For the last 20 plus years of her life, Nan suffered through many serious ailments, including breast cancer, debilitating rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and melanoma. Shortly after finishing chemotherapy, she was in a serious car accident which caused her further permanent physical injury. Despite being frail and in a lot of pain, Nan was a fighter. Both in 2011 and in 2013, she broke a hip, conveniently just prior to Kristin and Jennifer's respective weddings. Her daughters joked that they couldn't get married without her first breaking a hip. Both times, even though she was fresh out of hip replacement surgery, Nan didn't let that stop her from getting down on the dance floor at their weddings. She underwent 29 surgeries in her lifetime, including cancer treatment, three total knee replacements (one had to be done twice), and two hip replacements. We called her the bionic Nan. Her dear husband Jerry was there by her side for all of these trials, truly keeping his vow of "in sickness and in health."
Jerry and their youngest son, Michael, spent four years rebuilding the engine of his 1970 911T Porsche. When it was finished in March of this year, Jerry was able to recreate his and Nancy's first date and take her for a ride in the same Porsche he first wooed her with 36 years prior. Just a few months ago, Nan was very excited to get a new, cute, white Subaru Forrester that she said "looked just like her." Just last month Jerry took Nancy to Hawaii to celebrate her 62nd birthday and also their 36th wedding anniversary. They spent two wonderful weeks in Hawaii with many of their children.
Although her passing was unexpected, we take some joy in the fact that she got to experience many wonderful things during the last few months of her life, and she is no longer in pain. Her favorite verse was Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the substance of the things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Nancy was preceded in death by her parents Ruth and David, and her brother Michael. She is survived by her husband Jerry, sister Sharon, children Matthew and his wife Lissa along with their two children Emily and Samantha, Kristin and her husband David, Jennifer and her husband John, Amy, and Michael, and the family dog Champ.
Nancy will be put to rest in a private ceremony on Friday, August 14th. A celebration of life will be held at the family residence at 2 pm on Saturday, August 15th. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, no sorrow, no crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." -Revelation 21:4-5