March 6, 2026
Nancy Lee Haney, neé Ellsworth, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, March 17th, 2026, aged 84. She is survived by her husband, John Haney; daughter, Susan Haney; grandchildren: Paige and Evan Fisher; daughter, Joanna (Haney) Haas; grandchildren: Ellen, Brynita, Gwenna, and Ethan Haas; her brothers: Don Ellsworth of Springfield, Ohio and Richard Ellsworth of Cincinnati, Ohio, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Marilyn Faircloth of Worthington, Ohio.
Nancy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio. She had many varied occupations over the course of her life, including being a home health aide in the Oswego area, founding her own business which supplied sprouted wheat grass for juicing at the Natural Foods store in Syracuse, NY, cutting draperies in Syracuse and Albany, and not least of all, being homemaker, mother and grandmother.
Nancy thought of herself as a Truth-Seeker. Her journey toward understanding began with finding relief for her ill-health in successive diets and healing practices, but her investigations were to continue beyond her own need for wholeness, in a selfless attempt to define universal Truth. Being a slender woman, Nancy had surprising strength and fortitude. She fearlessly stood up for what she believed in and she fiercely reviled institutions that took advantage of people. She had the heart of a rebel, a characteristic which led her to champion the underappreciated and unconventional.
Resident for over five decades on County Route 57, she may be best known for her gardens. She was an industrious enthusiast for exploring the nature of plants, delighting in the nettles that grew voluntarily out of her compost pile. Her vegetables and flowers sprawled luxuriantly into paths year after year and passers-by enjoyed seasonal natural beauty.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice Foundation of Central New York, 990 Seventh North Street, Liverpool, NY 13088. For online donations, please go to: http://www.hospicecny.org/support-hospice
Burial will be held privately. The Sugar & Scanlon Funeral Home, 147 W. 4th St., Oswego, NY has care of the arrangements.