Nancy Gaines, 87, passed away peacefully on Dec 30, 2017 with family at her side. The daughter of Charles W. Gaines II and Elizabeth Harman Gaines, she was born in Clinton where she spent the vast majority of her lifetime. As a young girl, Nancy was an extremely accomplished musician, both as a pianist and a flautist.  She was also a talented equestrian, and as a young girl, competed in the American Royal Saddlebred Horse Show.

After graduation from Clinton High School, she attended Lindenwood College for Women where she studied music.  She married Robert W. Spangler with whom she had two children:  Charles Gaines Spangler and Nancy DeLiza Spangler.  As a young woman in her mid-20s, she was stricken with neuronitis and became paralyzed from the waist down.  Although the doctors at the Mayo Clinic told her she would never walk again, she assured them she would and several months later, she walked out of the Mayo Clinic.  After a short period on crutches, Nancy regained her full walking ability.

Not long afterward, she began traveling throughout the country playing the piano at internationally and nationally known hotels at various venues, such as New York City, Kansas City, Washington DC, New Orleans, and Mobile, AL.  It was in Mobile that she met her second husband Hans Nettelblad with whom she had 3 children, Hans (Niki) Nettelblad, Amanda Nettelblad and Adelia Nettelblad LeBlanc.  Nancy settled in Clinton, where she remained for more than 50 years.

An activist in the community, Nancy belonged to a number of organizations and volunteered countless hours of her time.  She was a member of the Episcopal Church, The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and PEO.  She volunteered her time delivering Meals on Wheels and assisted children with reading at Davis R12, but she was known most for her animal rescue efforts. Nancy fostered and adopted out an immense amount of dogs and cats over the years, and never hesitated to help an animal in need.  Whether it was a pregnant feral cat or a starving dog by the side of the road, she took them all in, working tirelessly to give them a second chance.  While her husband told her she couldn't save every animal in the world, her response was that it changed the world for every animal she saved.

Nancy is survived by her five children, 3 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. At her request, a small, private service will be held with family members to scatter her ashes in the backyard of her former home in the country, where she felt most at peace, surrounded by nature and her beloved animals.  In her memory, donations can be made to the Clinton Animal Shelter or to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Clinton.

Fond memories and condolences may be left with the funeral home at www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com .
Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home of Clinton.