Nancy Lee Ribas

Nancy Lee Ribas was born on July 1, 1931 to Thomas and Naomi Brooks in Kansas City, Missouri. Her younger sister Carol completed the family in 1933. Thomas and Naomi divorced when Nancy and Carol were young, and the girls were raised by their mother and step-father Don Knouse. The family moved around the country going to Florida and then settling in San Diego in the 1940s. They moved to the communality of Crest in the late 1930s. Nancy was an alumnus of Grossmont High School. Nancy met Bernardo Ribas while working at North Island Naval Airbase. They married in 1953 and welcomed daughter Vivien Clare in 1954, Lisa Ann in 1958, and Sherry Lee completed their family in 1968. Nancy enjoyed spending time with Ben’s large extended family. Nancy and Ben moved to Crest in 1959. Ben passed away from cancer in 1993, but Nancy stayed in their home for the rest of her life. Nancy enjoyed sewing, gardening, and listening to music. Nancy was a talented seamstress who did alterations, made the wedding dresses for her daughters Vivien and Sherry, and sewed dresses for her daughters and granddaughter. She was an avid gardener. Her Spring wildflowers of California poppies and African daisies was a yearly treasure to the family. Nancy loved music. She played the saxophone as a teenager, and was an avid music listener her entire life. She enjoyed attending local classical music concerts at Grossmont College when her daughter Sherry studied music there. Family was very important to Nancy. She helped care for her grandmother Nancy Leopold and great-uncle Edgar Leopold during their senior years when they were ill. Holidays were important to her because it was a chance to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Nancy liked to bake cookies for her family. She had a wide variety of cookie recipes, and she was a very good baker. Above all else, Nancy loved the Lord. She was a member of Crest Community Church since 1953. Nancy started every day with a devotional time to Christ. Every Sunday, her day began with singing praise music in the hours before church. Nancy was preceded in death by her daughter Vivien Sheppard and her husband Ben. She is survived by her daughters Lisa Thiringer and Sherry Boulter, son-in-laws Larry Thiringer, Ron Boulter, and Dean Sheppard; grandchildren Kevin and Darren Sheppard, Damon and Nicole Boulter, Derek Nielson and Desiree Morehart; sister Carol Crossmire and nephew Michael Crossmire of Virginia. A celebration of life service will be held at Legacy Funeral Home in La Mesa, California on September 22nd, 2017 at 6:00 PM