(From Mason-Woodard Mortuary)Nancy Claire (Shafer) Bacus was born February 24th, 1941 in Holyoke, Colorado to Howard C. Shafer and Mary M. (Legg) Shafer.
Nancy grew up in Holyoke, Colorado and graduated from Holyoke High School in 1959. She then attended Ozark Bible College in Joplin, MO.
While at Ozark she had an opportunity to spend a summer in Jamaica working with children at camps and other opportunities through Jamaica Christian Mission. It is there that she met a young man from Alton, IL named Harvey Bacus.
They spent the summer serving and working together and built a great friendship. Near the end of the summer, they were allowed to go on one date together. That was their only date before they were married. They spent the next few months writing letters and were then married May 12th, 1962 at First Christian Church in Holyoke, Colorado.
From there they went back to Kingston, Jamaica and served together with Jamaica Christian Mission for another 10 years. On January 4th, 1966 a daughter Jaqueline Rae joined the family.
In January 1972 Harvey and Nancy and Jackie joined the Ozark Bible College family ‘temporarily’ as missionaries on campus. By summer 1972, they called Joplin their permanent home. On October 31st, 1974 a son, James Harvey Bacus joined the family.
Nancy and Harvey continued to travel between Joplin, MO and Kingston Jamaica for the next many years to continue their work and influence across the island.
After Jackie and James were well established in school, Nancy continued her education at Ozark Bible College and finished her degree in May 1986 at the newly named Ozark Christian College. For the next decade they traveled across the Caribbean around the US and to Europe teaching, planting churches and investing in former students and colleagues across the globe.
Nancy also was very active in teaching children’s church, VBS and 3rd and 4th grade Sunday school first at North Joplin Christian Church and later at Central City Christian Church. She invested deeply in generations of children and their families.
For many years, Nancy also taught part-time at Ozark Christian College and then later joined the staff of the Music Department of the college where she coordinated the activities and programs throughout the department including weekly chapel, The Living Christmas Tree, Highest Praise and many things in between.
In January 1972 Harvey and Nancy and Jackie joined the Ozark Bible College family ‘temporarily’ as missionaries on campus. By summer 1972, they called Joplin their permanent home. On October 31st, 1974 a son, James Harvey Bacus joined the family.
Nancy and Harvey continued to travel between Joplin, MO and Kingston Jamaica for the next many years to continue their work and influence across the island.
After Jackie and James were well established in school, Nancy continued her education at Ozark Bible College and finished her degree in May 1986 at the newly named Ozark Christian College. For the next decade they traveled across the Caribbean around the US and to Europe teaching, planting churches and investing in former students and colleagues across the globe.
Nancy also was very active in teaching children’s church, VBS and 3rd and 4th grade Sunday school first at North Joplin Christian Church and later at Central City Christian Church. She invested deeply in generations of children and their families.
For many years, Nancy also taught part-time at Ozark Christian College and then later joined the staff of the Music Department of the college where she coordinated the activities and programs throughout the department including weekly chapel, The Living Christmas Tree, Highest Praise and many things in between.
In 2003, she concluded her full-time service at Ozark Christian College and she and Harvey made preparations to move to Amman, Jordan to establish the first public library in the nation. Books and More was established and designed to be a bridge between all cultures and faith and continues to this day as one of the few places in the nation where people of all nationalities and backgrounds can gather together, learn, train, access books and resources and build community. Nancy founded and led this new project and gained attention and accolades across the Kingdom of Jordan and around the world.
In 2014 Nancy was chosen as the Seth Wilson Distinguished Alumni at Ozark Christian College. She returned to Joplin in Fall 2018 to begin her retirement, but she never stopped her investment in Books and More, her friends and family and children around the world. Nancy’s life was dedicated to others and she was a trailblazer throughout her life.
Nancy was known by many titles. Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife, Mother, teacher, Christ-follower, counselor and confidant. But to many across her realm of influence she was also known as Aunt Nancy, Miss Nancy, Sister Nancy and other titles of reverence and significance as she invested in children and their families daily.
Nancy Claire Bacus touched the lives of countless people from February 24th, 1941 until her death on October 17th, 2022. Her legacy and life continues through her husband Harvey R. Bacus of Joplin, MO, her daughter Jackie R. Bacus-Newman and her husband Jim and Jackie’s three children Laith, Jad and Zain as well as her son James H. Bacus of Joplin, MO/Amman, Jordan. She is loved and missed by her friends and family, her colleagues and her ‘kids’ across the world.
Nancy’s celebration of life will be held on Monday October 24th at the Chapel at Ozark Christian College. Her son James H. Bacus will officiate.
Visitation will begin at 10 AM followed by the service at 11AM.
All gifts to honor Nancy can be sent to Books and More Library projectjordan.org or to Ozark Christian College. The gifts sent to Books and More Library will be used to build a new auditorium, conference center and classroom space for the training of local women, teachers and children in Jordan.
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