A kind and compassionate flame was extinguished unexpectedly early Sunday evening, Sept. 23, 2018. Nancie Bokesch was born Nancie Jane Duff on Nov. 26, 1946 in Alliance, Ohio, the only child of Lilian (Adams) and Marion Duff.

She attended Alliance High School where she was an outstanding student, cheerleader and was active in student council. After graduating in 1964, Nancie attended Kent State University. In 1968 she married Joseph Turkle, with whom she had two sons, Joseph B. Turkle and Jason R. Turkle. Following the death of her first husband, Nancie worked in the banking industry in Canton, Ohio until she married the love of her life, Randy Bokesch, in 1974 and relocated to Austintown, Ohio where she was employed by Dollar Bank. She subsequently forwent her banking career to care for her two young boys. She then began her community service as a founding board member of the Austintown Junior Soccer League in 1977. Nancie gave birth to her third and final son, R. Patrick Bokesch, in 1984 at which time she also became a Mary Kay consultant for five years.

Nancie developed her trademark empathy at a young age after witnessing how her grandparents’ farm chickens made it to the dinner table. This seemingly traumatic experience instilled in her the value of life which she carried with her forever. Her actions echoed this through her devotion to her community, including (but not limited to): Founder and President of the Youngstown Area Women’s Soccer League; Austintown Junior Soccer League Coach; Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused or neglected children; participated as a host family in The Ulster Project; Austintown Fitch Band Parents; Austintown Fitch Football Parents; founder of Austintown Fitch Falcon Gear; Co-Chair of Austintown Middle School Bond Levy; President of Austintown Junior Women’s League for multiple years; avid supporter of Donate Life and organ transplantation at community hospitals; Council Secretary and Event Planner for Zion Lutheran Church in Cornersburg, Ohio; and volunteering for numerous local, state, and federal political campaigns.

In addition to her community service, Nancie also filled her spare time with various hobbies including: Grape Nuts Wine Club; Page Turners book club; working for General Insurance Agency, the Connecticut Western Reserve Shop and Meander Hill Gift Shop; antiquing; coaching and playing soccer; skiing; traveling; vacationing on Squirrel Island, Maine; interior decorating; holiday entertaining and dinners with family and friends.

Nancie will be endlessly missed by her husband, Randy Bokesch, her sons Patrick Bokesch of Austintown, Ohio and Jason (Joey) Turkle of Powell, Ohio, her sister-in-law Dr. Paula Bokesch of Harvard, Massachusetts, brother-in-law Raymond (Kathy) Bokesch of Austintown, Ohio, her grandchildren Madison Fagert, Kayla Turkle and Joshua Turkle; Gracie and Gus (cats), her “baby boy” and granddog Romley, and countless other family and friends.

In addition to her parents, Nancie was preceded in death by her son Joseph, her second mother Betty Donaldson, and mother-in-law Marie Bokesch.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 at noon at Zion Lutheran Church, 3300 Canfield Rd Youngstown, OH 44511. Friends and family may call Friday, Sept. 27, 2018 from 3 pm until 8 pm and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of the services at noon all at Zion Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Nancie’s name to Donate Life or Zion Lutheran Church Memorial Fund. Care was entrusted to Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Austintown Chapel.