Nancy Mc Kee (Stibbie) De Pree (1929-2025).  Nancy De Pree died peacefully at home on August 16, 2025 while all of her children were visiting her.   She was dearly loved by her family, friends, and neighbors, and will be greatly missed.  Nancy was the centerpiece and matriarch of extended family gatherings for many decades.  Her humor, candor, compassion, and genuineness made it easy for her to connect with so many.  That and her independent spirit, fortitude, creativity, and grace are something that her family aspires to carry forward.

The beloved daughter of Levi and Hazeldine Stibbie (née Billings), Nancy  was born in Schenectady, New York on May 30, 1929.  Nancy graduated from high school in Niskayuna, New York, where she was a dedicated and enthusiastic cheerleader, and then attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana where she majored in architectural design.  She continued her education at Roosevelt University, graduating with a Master's degree in business.

After her children were grown, Nancy went back to join the work force.  She was a Secretary/Analyst at Baxter Travenol Laboratories from 1979 to 1989.  Nancy then moved to AC Nielsen as an Executive Assistant from 1989 to 1994.  She worked for several churches from 1994 to 2001 as an Office Administrator, most notably Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights and Highland Park Presbyterian Church.  Nancy cherished the relationships she had with her co-workers at each workplace and kept in touch with those friends for the rest of her life.

Nancy's interests were wide and varied.  In 1944, at the age of 15, she was such a proficient accordion player that her instructor, who was called into the war, said there was no other teacher this side of New York that she could go to as she knew more about music than they did.  She was also a wonderful ice skater.  Her father would get up at 3:00 am every morning in the winter to spray water on the ice rink he created in their backyard every year so that Nancy could have a smooth surface on which to figure skate with her friends.

Her creativity shone forth as she grew older, becoming an accomplished artist who excelled in painting portraits.  She had an uncanny ability to capture the essence of a person in her paintings.  Nancy was also an excellent knitter and seamstress, making Barbie doll clothes for her daughters -  knitting suits in various colors and wedding dresses made from the fabric of her own wedding dress.  She enjoyed playing both golf and bridge, and because perfection was her goal in all of her endeavors, she was rarely happy with her performance.

Everyone who knew Nancy was aware of her love of cats.  Over her lifetime she had several cats, all of them "rescues", and each one was proclaimed "the best cat ever."  Caroline, Heather, Azure, Cheney, Elsa, and Asa were her beloved furry companions.

Nancy is survived by her daughters Kristen (Monte) Del Monte and Moira Palmer; son Damon (Diane) De Pree; grandsons  Derek (Paula) DelMonte, Ryan Palmer, and Cale (Farrah) Palmer; granddaughter Marcy (Jake) Holler; great granddaughters Ava Palmer-Compasso, Isabelle, Evelyn, and Sadie Holler, and Riley DelMonte; and great grandson Bryce DelMonte. She is also survived by wonderful nephews Kim (Cindy) Harrington and Jeffrey (Kathleen) Harrington, many grandnieces and grandnephews, and numerous other loved ones.  The De Pree family hosted a foreign exchange student from Italy (Mauro Gelli) when Damon was a junior in high school, and he became a second son to Nancy and a cherished family member to all.  Nancy was predeceased by her parents, sister Barbara (Dean) Harrington, son-in-law L. Guy Palmer, and former husband Howard Jay De Pree.

A private family gathering will be held in the summer of 2026 in New York.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a hospice in your community, the Humane Society, Orphans of the Storm, or the charity of your choice.