Nancy Idell Harvey Martineau

February 7, 1927 ~ April 29, 2018
Nancy Idell Harvey Martineau passed away at her home in Blanding, UT on April 29, 2018 after a five week battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Nancy was born February 7, 1927 in Blanding.  She was the daughter of Douglas and Bertha Irene Harvey. 
She was welcomed into the family by her brothers and sisters Jim, Irene, Susie, Rex, and Keith. They all loved her very much.  Seven years later, Nancy’s brother John joined the family.
When Nancy was only seven years old, her mother died.  But her big brother Jim had taught her about the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, so she held fast to the knowledge that she would see her mother again someday. 
For many months after her mother died, a sad seven-year-old Nancy faithfully went to the cemetery every day, waiting to greet her resurrected mother, always to be disappointed but never giving up hope. 
Though her mother was not resurrected in the time frame little Nancy thought she would be, she never lost her faith in Jesus Christ. 
As a half-orphan, she had the unique opportunity of living with various relatives and siblings as she was growing up.  She went hungry a lot, and she was probably ten years old before someone showed her how to part and comb her hair. 
She was amazed and grateful for this bit of advice. She also felt very grateful to an aunt who gave her a big safety pin so she could pin her coat shut when the buttons had fallen off.
Nancy attended grade school and junior high in Blanding.
In 1941, she lived with her brother Jim in Dayton, OH and stayed there her freshman and sophomore years of high school. 
During her years in Ohio, World War II broke out.  She was always to remember the day someone bustled into the rented building where their little branch held church and announced that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and America was at war! 
The Harveys lived near Wright Patterson Air Force Base, so blackouts at home and air-raid drills at school became part of her life.  To help the cause, she tied knots in ropes for army tents until her fingers were sore.  She was very patriotic her entire life.
After two years in Ohio, Nancy went back to Blanding to live with her sister Irene.  She started her junior year of high school at San Juan High.  All her friends were glad to welcome her home.
World War II raged on.  By the time the class of 1945 had their Junior Prom, all but four of the boys in the class had turned 18 and had gone off to war.
Nancy especially enjoyed her senior year.  She was editor of the paper, vice president of the studentbody, took the leading part in the class play, and wrote the senior prophecy.  For their senior class party, they went to the old swimming hole in Bluff.
After graduation, she worked various jobs and then went to Brigham Young University for a year.  On January 24, 1947 she married her sweetheart, Stanley Hawkins Martineau (better known as Bud), in the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Bud and Nancy became the parents of nine children:  Susie, Ruth, Brenda, Stanley, Kathryn, Ann, Lynn, Sally, and Jim. 
After the birth of her second son Lynn, she developed a serious staph infection that nearly took her life. But through the pain-filled haze, thoughts of her children gave her the courage and strength to pull through. 
They built a house in Blanding and after years of being a vagabond, Nancy was so happy she finally had a home of her very own.
Naturally, the raising of nine kids occupied most of Nancy’s time.  She cooked, cleaned, canned, did laundry, sewed, ironed, planted gardens, harvested food, baked bread, walked the floor with crying babies, played with her children, pulled pranks on Bud, served in church callings, and taught her children the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Her nine children grew up, went away to college, married and served missions.  All of these occasions kept her busy.  Soon she became a grandma, with her first grandchild only two years younger than her last child.
At the age of 59, Nancy went back to school at CEU in Blanding. She received her Associate of Science Degree in 1986.  At the same time, her husband Bud received a Two-Year-Certificate of Completion from Provo Technical College (now UVU) in Orem, UT.
In 1987, Bud and Nancy were in a car accident on Peter’s Hill where Bud lost his life. Nancy suffered from six broken ribs, a broken ankle, and a concussion – all injuries that took time to heal – but it took even longer to heal her broken heart. 
She missed her Bud terribly and wished she didn’t have to be a widow for so many years. As it turned out, she was alone for 31 years.
Nancy retired from the San Juan School District in 1994 after working at the schools for 19 years.  One year later, her sister Susie came to live with her. The two sisters had great fun and many adventures together, traveling to many interesting places and collecting souvenir spoons from each place they went.  Nancy and Sue had four happy years together before Susie passed away. 
During her later years, Nancy had the sad task of burying her husband; father; sisters Irene and Susie; brothers Keith, Rex, and Jim; brother-in-law Punk; nieces, nephews, aunts, and even five of her grandchildren.
Nancy was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully in church callings all her life, even those that were challenging for her.  There was never a time in her adult life that she didn’t have a calling. 
She served in Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society in both the ward and the stake, with one of her favorite callings being Jr. Sunday School Coordinator.
One of Nancy’s greatest joys was having a temple in Monticello.  She was called to be an ordinance worker in 2003 and served in that calling for six years.  
Nancy received news of her terminal disease – for which there is no cure – with grace and dignity, though thoughts of leaving her children and this beautiful world behind filled her with sadness.
Nancy was full of life and had a zest for living.  She loved the beauties of the earth and lived life to the fullest to her very last day.  We will miss her happy heart, her fun-loving spirit, her pranks, and her listening ear. 
With no pattern to follow, and no mother to guide her, she made her house a home, where all who entered felt welcome.  She loved each one of us with a pure love, and she gave us the priceless gift of a happy childhood, for which we will be forever grateful. 
Though our parting is sorrowful, we find comfort knowing she is reunited with her mother and father and our dad, and that we, too, will see our mother again someday.  
Nancy Martineau died on April 29, 2018 at the age of 91, just five short weeks after she learned she had leukemia. 
She is survived by her bother John (Jody) Harvey; half-siblings Leslie, Bruce, Bonnie, Anne, Jeannie, Allyn, and David; nine children and their spouses  Susie (Jim) Jones, Ruth (David) Welton, Brenda (Milton) Rose, Stanley (Vicky) Martineau, Kathryn (Reed) Lyman, Ann (Bill) Bayles, Lynn (Michelle) Martineau, Sally (Derryl) Jack, and Jim (Stacy) Martineau; 45 of 50 grandchildren, 87 great-grandchildren, and ten great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held on Friday, May 4, 2018 at the LDS North Chapel in Blanding, UT with interment in the Blanding City Cemetery.
Card of Thanks
Growing up with a mom like ours was so much FUN!  We wish we could keep her forever, but we are profoundly grateful to our Heavenly Father for letting us have so many happy years with her, especially after we lost our dad early on. 
We would like to express our gratitude to the many people who called or came to visit Mom during her last few weeks.  She loved, appreciated, and enjoyed each one of you, often commenting that all the visits made her feel like a celebrity!  
Thanks for your kind words, your loving prayers, your thoughts, your flowers, your food, and your attendance at the viewing and funeral. Thank you for loving our mom all through her 91 years.
A special thanks to Dr. Jeppeson for his compassion and care. Thanks to the kind nurses at San Juan Hospital; the blood transfusion gave her the boost she needed to fell better for a while.
Thanks also to Emily and the good folks at Zions Way Hospice for their help caring for our mom during her last days.
Our lives have been touched and blessed by all of you.
Thank You,
The family of Nancy
Martineau
John & Jody Harvey
Susie & Jim Jones
Ruth & David Welton
Brenda & Milton Rose
Stan & Vicky Martineau
Kathryn & Reed Lyman
Ann & Bill Bayles
Lynn & Michelle Martineau
Sally & Derryl Jack
Jim & Stacy Martineau
and each of their families