Nancy Echols

Nancy Ann Echols, 82, died on October 3, 2024, at her home in Mountain View, Missouri, surrounded by her cherished family.

 

Nancy was the first of two daughters born to Martha Haworth and William Robinson at Speedway Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 6, 1941. Her early life was marked by the death of her mother from polio before there was a vaccine. Her father later married Holly Weidiman, and the family moved throughout the South before settling in Southern California.

 

Nancy attended UC Riverside, where she met and married Dennis Albaugh. They welcomed their daughter Tyrrell in 1968. After the marriage ended in divorce, she set off for Santa Cruz to reinvent herself in an era of profound societal change. While visiting a friend in Sonoma County, she met Bill Echols, originally from St. Louis, when he was looking to hitch a ride south so he could go surfing. As fate would have it, she was going just the direction he wanted to go. Their daughter Johanna was born in 1975.

 

Nancy and Bill shared similar dreams—she was interested in natural foods, gardening, and self-sufficiency; Bill, alternative energy and efficient building. They longed for more property and space, and after a visit to the Midwest, they purchased 20 acres and a balloon-framed, double-pen style Ozark house outside Mountain View. The property had long been abandoned, but with little more than hand tools, they built a home, living in a tent while Bill worked on the house. Their youngest daughter, Martha, was born in 1980.

 

In 1987, Nancy purchased Sunshine Market, a small natural foods store in Mountain View, which she ran for 37 years. The store was her passion, a home away from home for locals and travelers alike. Nancy built deep connections with many of her customers over the years and cherished their patronage.

 

Nancy was passionate and outspoken about politics, and a fierce advocate for democracy, equal rights, social and economic justice, and commonsense gun laws—a true patriot. She did not follow any religion, but put her faith in life itself and, as she liked to say, “the cosmos”. She was a longtime member of the Howell County Democrats, Mountain View Garden Club, and helped establish the Mountain View Community Garden. She cared greatly about healthy food, and loved that her store served as an intersection for food and community.

 

Nancy had many talents but her ability to love and to forgive were perhaps her greatest. She showered her loved ones with unwavering support and wisdom, always making sure they knew how “damn proud” she was of them. Her loss leaves an immeasurable void.

 

Nancy is survived by her husband, Bill Echols; her children: Tyrrell Albaugh (Tom Fontana) Fremont, NH; Johanna Echols (Matthew Albrecht) Webster Groves, MO;  Martha Echols (Matthew Berry) Columbia, MO; sister, Sally Crum Eugene, OR; brother, Jim Robinson (Martha Robinson) Sausalito, CA; and six grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to National Public Radio (www.npr.org).