Nancy L. Saylor

Nancy Lou (Edds) Saylor joined God’s other angels on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024, following a brief hospitalization. She was the daughter of Clyde Harvey Edds and Barbara Jeanne (Martinson) Edds of Topeka, Kansas. 

 Born on September 17, 1946, Nancy grew up a few miles southwest of Topeka and attended Topeka public schools. She graduated from Kansas University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and went on to have a rewarding career in several medical fields. She was Staff Nurse for the Visiting Nurses Association Kansas City Missouri; the Youth Clinic Director for the Johnson County Kansas Health Department; an award-winning pharmaceutical sales representative for Searle Laboratories; a Nurse reviewer of nursing facilities for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services; the School Nurse at Topeka’s Seaman High School; a Nurse at the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved; and Phase I Director of the Midwest Health Disparities Collaborative (Chronic Disease Management Initiative). She filled four different senior management slots at the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care over a period of fourteen years, supporting its mission of guidance in best health practices and quality control for health care organizations, individual physicians, nurses, and other professionals in the medical field. 

Nancy’s greatest love outside of her family was her dogs. She had at least eight dogs over her lifetime, adopting two and rescuing two others. Every pup added joy to her days and nights, and each one got celebrity treatment. Her other favorites were elephants, horses, rabbits, tennis, and KU basketball…especially KU basketball. She had her picture taken with point guard Devonte’ Graham, and with Coach Bill Self twice! She attended three different NCAA final four games. Hobbies included making personalized greeting cards, rubber stamping, and painting cartoons and messages on small smooth stones, which she left anonymously in random locations around town. Nancy belonged to P.E.O. and a private supper club of four married couples.

Travels to Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, southern France, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, Canada and Mexico were on her list of destinations. But she loved the United States most of all, with trips to Carmel By The Sea, San Francisco, Disney World, New York City, Chicago, and especially the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Nancy met her future husband, Doctor Mark Saylor, in 1976 when, as maid of honor for her best friend Mary Beth Lees and Mark as best man for his brother Steve, the couple were married in Kansas City. Nancy and Mark wed in 1979, celebrated their 45th anniversary on September first of this year, and took in The Jersey Boys musical at the Topeka Civic Theater on Nancy’s 78th birthday, September 17th. Brother-in-law Doctor Ed Saylor once told her that when she joined the Saylor family it was the best thing that ever happened to it.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents Clyde and Barbara Edds. She had six uncles and ten aunts on her maternal and paternal sides of the family, plus numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces, some of whom are also deceased. Nancy’s surviving close relatives include her husband Mark, sister Linda Dawson, and her brother and sister-in-law Doctor and Mrs. Breck Edds.

Nancy felt strongly that she wanted no funeral. A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held later this year in Topeka, time and place to be announced. Memorial contributions may be made to Pawsitive Tails Rescue (https://www.pawsitivetailskc.org/) and/or Helping Hands Humane Society (https://www.hhhstopeka.org/).

Dove Funeral Home in Topeka is helping with arrangements. To share a memory of Nancy or leave a special message for her family online, scroll to the Guestbook below.