Obituary of Nancy Jean Monkman

Nancy Jean Monkman, 89, of Reseda, California, passed away at home on Tuesday, October 2, 2018. She was cremated and her ashes will be scattered at a future date. A celebration of her life was held on November 3, 2018.

Nancy was born in Portland, Oregon, on June 20, 1929, to Arthur Wright and Mildred (Lyons) Wright. They moved to California a few months later.

Although she grew up in California, she graduated from high school at the John Brown Academy in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, at age 16. After high school she worked in Berkeley, CA, then moved back to Los Angeles and worked for Pacific Electric Railway (the “red cars”) where she met her spouse of 70 years, Bruce. She ran her own business since the 1950s.

Nancy and Bruce were members of the San Fernando Valley Gem and Mineral Society for many years. Nancy’s interests in rocks and minerals evolved into a lifelong focus on jewelry metal work and enameling. She was a founding member of the Metal Arts Society of Southern California (MASSC), and a long-time member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG). In addition to her own metal and enamel work, she filmed workshops and was the editor for SNAG News and the MASSC newsletter. She also enjoyed photography, traveling, cooking, and reading.

Nancy is survived by her daughters (and their partners) Karen (Jim) and Sally (Richard); grandchildren Gaelin (Chen), Leyna (Rory), Jennifer (Jasan), Kevin (Kim), and four great-grandchildren Atlas, Venice, Sophia, and Alex. At 89 years old, Nancy was as sharp as ever, and a role model for many who knew her.

A scholarship has been set up in Nancy Monkman’s name with the Metal Arts Society of Southern California (MASSC). Memorial donations may be made in her honor to:

• MASSC’s Nancy Monkman Memorial Scholarship http://www.massconline.com/article/nancy-monkman-memorial-scholarship (donation link at the bottom of the page)
• Descanso Gardens https://www.descansogardens.org/support-us/donate-now/ Nancy loved flowers and took many flower photos at Descanso.
• People for the American Way https://act.pfaw.org/donate/donate-to-people-for-the-american-way/?source=pfaw_supportus PFAW does research on the Radical Right and educates the public and the press about the right-wing agenda. Nancy cared deeply about social justice and was concerned about the current direction of political agendas.
• American Lung Association https://action.lung.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1360&1360.donation=form1