Nancy Marie Chastain

June 7, 1944 – July 15, 2020

Nancy Chastain, 76, passed away peacefully July 15 in Anchorage, Alaska.

She was born June 7, 1944 in Portland, Oregon, the third of four children to the late Esther and Fred Chastain. As a child Nancy attended Woodstock Grade School followed by Cleveland High School. It was in high school when she performed in a Gilbert and Sullivan production that the performing arts bug bit her; it would last a lifetime. Nancy continued her education at Western Business College and in 1969 traveled to Europe with some extended time in Germany. She also spent time in New York City exploring Broadway and the theatrical scene.

In 1977, Nancy traveled to Alaska and settled at MacDonald Spit in the Kachemak Bay area. This area became home and she would spend the next 43 years living and working in Anchor Point and Homer.

She worked as a medical transcriptionist for local doctors and eventually joined the staff at South Peninsula Hospital. Not only was she a supporter of Pier One Theatre, she was extremely active as a performer and director. She enjoyed participating with Dance Homer and loved traveling to Valdez for the annual Last Frontier Theatre Conference.

In June 2019, she traveled to Belgium and France as part of the Kachemak Chorale who performed in several venues, to include Flanders Field. As a dancer, playwright, actor, director and producer Nancy kept busy and enjoyed the camaraderie of all those she met while performing with various groups. She treasured spending time in her yard and garden that held a bountiful crop of raspberries, which she turned into jam each year. She travelled every fall to her sisters in Wasilla to share in their apple crop and routinely made 35 jars of applesauce from the haul.

Nancy is affectionately remembered by her daughter, Jill Getzendaner; husband Charlie, and their children Casey, Amy, Sarah and Lucas of Hillsboro, Oregon; her sisters, Judy Raynor (John) of Wasilla, and Susie Bromley of Salem, Oregon; brother, Mike Chastain of Lebanon, Oregon; and her nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at Bishop’s Beach in Homer, Alaska at a later date to be determined.