Nancy Hatch Obituary

March 2, 1932 – June 19, 2023

STATE COLLEGE, PA - It deeply saddens our family and friends to announce that Nancy Hardin Hatch, of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, passed away on June 19, 2023, at Foxdale Village in State College, Pennsylvania.

Nancy was born Nancy Lyn Hardin on the 2nd of March 1932 in Kingsport, Tennessee, Sullivan County, to parents of Roy Tyler Hardin Sr. and Kate Mahoney Hardin. Nancy grew up in Kingsport, TN and graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School in 1949. Nancy spent her teenage years enjoying music, dancing, and reading. Nancy then went on to earn a bachelor's degree in Office Administration in 1954 from the University of Tennessee, where she met and married James Cordell Hatch on the 8th of June 1954, in Kingsport's First Baptist Church. She was secretary to the Dean of Electrical Engineering at University of Tennessee until the 1st of July 1956. She then accompanied her husband when he was drafted into the United States Army, and sent to train at Fort Holabird, MD. Nancy followed her husband to the 3rd Army Headquarters in Atlanta, GA, where she landed a position at the 3rd Army Headquarters as a Clerk-Stenographer from January to October 1957, earning her a glowing letter of recommendation from her superiors. Nancy's husband was honorably discharged from the Army in 1958, and together, they returned to the University of Tennessee with their first child, Laura Lyn. It wasn't until 1959 that the family moved to Boalsburg, Pennsylvania after her husband accepted a position at Pennsylvania State University. While in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, the family grew, Nancy giving birth to daughter Anita and son, Clifton. Nancy and her family didn't stay put for very long, traveling to Wisconsin to live, she concentrated on raising their children while Cordell worked on getting a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. It was an intense three years. She did the artwork and typing on his Master's thesis and doctoral dissertation. Nancy and her growing family returned to the State College area. While her husband worked abroad, Nancy also worked as an Executive Secretary to the Superintendent of the International School of Islamabad, Pakistan. They spent from three-month to eight-year spans overseas. As a charter member of South Hills Baptist Church, she served as Church Clerk for four years. Nancy was Personnel Secretary in Penn State's Pattee Library until she retired in November 1980. She worked alongside her husband, assisting and traveling with him while he was employed at Penn State University as a consultant to the governments of Colombia, Argentina, Seychelles, Swaziland, Philippines, Nepal, Samoa, Japan and Pakistan, always returning home to Boalsburg, PA. Nancy loved traveling together with her husband in retirement and did so extensively until 2005. At that time, with the unwavering love and encouragement of their daughter, Laura, the couple made the decision to move into Foxdale Village from their Boalsburg home. Besides the love she had for her family and friends, her other loves were murder mystery novels, crossword puzzles, calligraphy, anything to do with word games/puzzles, knitting, jewelry, and CHOCOLATE.

Nancy was preceded in death by husband, James Cordell Hatch, her parents, brother Roy Hardin Jr., sisters Virginia Forrester and Betty Jean Arrington and daughters Laura Hatch Rayman and Anita Kaye Hatch.

She is survived by her son Clifton Almon Hatch and wife Norma, of Pine Grove Mills, and son-in-law Robert Rayman of Boalsburg, five beautiful grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Nancy will be greatly missed, her laughter, her uncanny wit, her instinctive flare for storytelling, her love of sharing old movie-musicals with her grandkids, her beautiful presence, southern drawl and charm.

We will all miss her immensely. Rest in Peace Nancy, we'll see you on the other side.