Nan (Gauthier) Mccreary

Nan Catherine Gauthier was born in Corning, Iowa on October 7, 1942 to Paul Gauthier and Marcia Gauthier, née Bliss. At the time of Nan’s birth, Paul was at Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, GA. Paul served on General George S. Patton’s press corp in WWII, and then successfully ran the Adams County Free Press for decades; feats which, no doubt, inspired Nan’s own illustrious journalistic path.

Nan graduated from Corning High School in 1960, and attended the University of Iowa immediately after. While at Iowa, she enjoyed writing a weekly column called "N'est-ce pas?" for the campus newspaper. After graduation, she followed her Aunt Mary to Lawrence, Kansas, where she worked as a staff writer and editor for the University of Kansas News Bureau. Fortune favored her in Lawrence when she met Jim McCreary, a chemical engineering Ph.D. candidate from Oklahoma. They married in Corning on June 5, 1965 and when Jim graduated, they moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, then to Houston, Texas. During this time, Nan and Jim were blessed with their daughters, Lynne and Laura.

In her more than half a century in Houston, Nan, never one to sit still, was involved with multiple local organizations. From Fun Runs in the 80s to Marathons in her 70s, she was an avid fan of road racing, and when she wasn’t running or walking, she gave of herself as a volunteer for CanCare, handing out water (and sometimes wine), always with enthusiastic cheers.

Service and networking groups were a large part of her civic and social life. She was an active Rotarian for decades and a stalwart contributor to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo wine and magazine committees. She enjoyed many years with the PWEGH, TPG, and Knights of the Vine, contributing her journalism skills, loyalty and friendship.

Nan never stopped growing, as is witnessed by her multiple wine certifications and journalistic endeavors, which included being a regular contributor to Grapevine, Beverage Master and The Arbor magazines. She loved travel and always returned from her trips with tales of foreign foods and drinks with which to regale her friends and family. When she wasn’t learning about wine in Europe, exotic animals in Africa and the Galapagos, or glaciers in Patagonia, she could be found hiking in North and South America, or in Los Angeles, doting on her daughters and her beloved grandson Jay.

Nan’s civic, social, and family values took deep root in Corning where she evolved from a rootin’-tootin’ capgun-shootin’ cowgirl buckaroo flashing chaps, hat, and spurs, into the nucleus of a notorious local gang of adolescent, mischievous humor peddlers who entertained the community without endangering it. Those pranksters pushed and even shredded conventional envelopes, but their antics caused no damage and were invariably redeemed by the laughter they inspired.

Household members (and maybe a few neighbors within earshot) remembered her Sunday morning protests against Marcia’s efforts to dress her like a proper young lady (in a dress) for Sunday Mass. Despite her malice toward her patent leather shoes, in a rare concession to her childhood femininity, she assiduously hid and protected them from the prying eyes of her siblings.

During her high school years, Nan devoted herself to the links, winning countless trophies as one of Iowa’s top young golfers. Her humility notwithstanding, her classic swing and game were legendary at Happy Hollow Country Club and she was a delightful playing companion.

She acquired and polished her writing credentials as part of the family’s journalistic craft and trade at the Adams County Free Press. (Operator: “Number Please.” Caller: “27”)

As she performed her own assorted and diverse daily missions, Nan shouldered the mantle of the family matron with her mother. Both were deeply devoted to all family members and the Corning community. During that process, Nan became the guardian and repository of the family’s soul, which she fiercely protected and shared with every descendent of Albert and Grace Gauthier.

At the time of her death, Nan was survived by her brothers Tony and Joe and a rowdy loving group of 21 tight-knit first cousins. Her parents predeceased her, as did her brother Chris, and sister Peg. Her brother Joe has since died. Though the extended Gauthier family scattered across the country, Nan and her communication skills were the unifying forces that perpetuated its tight bonds of affinity and kinship.

As dozens can still attest, none of Nan’s extensive experiences, camaraderie, world travel, or achievements could ever eclipse her core identity as a child of Corning. She is coming home to be placed at rest on July 8, 2023 in Calvary Cemetery with her family.

Memorial donations in Nan’s name can be made to CanCare, an organization very dear to her, which provides hope and support to cancer patients, at https://www.cancare.org/donate or contact 713-461-0028.