Nancy Rose Panbechi Chrystal's Obituary
NANCY ROSE PANBECHI CHRYSTAL (MATSON)
Nancy Rose Panbechi Chrystal (Matson) (“Nancy”) was born on February 20, 1950 in Long Beach, California to Mr. Leon and Mrs. Violet Matson who were of German and Norwegian descent. Soon after her birth, the Matson family moved to San Diego where she grew up in Point Loma with her two brothers (Dale and Jim) and sister (Linda). As a child, Nancy was very spiritual and was baptized Lutheran and became a member of Saint Peters by the Sea Lutheran Church.
Nancy went to Point Loma High School and was well liked by her peers and used to brag that she had many offers from people to take her out on dates . . . LOL! One of Nancy’s favorite pass times was going to Ocean Beach, swimming in the ocean, and bike riding with her good friends Sonia, Pam, and Kathy. Nancy then attended San Diego State University where she studied to become a teacher and minored in music. After graduation, she taught at the San Diego City Schools and always shared how much she loved teaching elementary school. She also loved music and it brought her great joy to teach music to her students as a piano teacher.
While in San Diego, at a joint college party between San Diego State University and California Western University (which is now Point Loma Nazarene University) Nancy met Roman. After a few years of dating Nancy and Roman got married in San Diego. Nancy and Roman lived by the beach and they both adopted a white cat named Mimi who ended up becoming a close member of their family and with whom Nancy became very fond of. Nancy then moved to Copenhagen, Denmark to support Roman while he finished his internship in Clinical psychology. Nancy always shared how much she loved Europe (especially Norway, Denmark, and Switzerland) and loved that she had the opportunity to explore many different countries and cultures.
Upon their return to the United Staties, Nancy and Roman had their only son Christopher. Nancy was a dedicated and caring mother and loved her son very much. So in order to bring up Christopher in a smaller town, Nancy and Roman moved to a ranch in Petaluma, California close to the vineyards of Sonoma. In Sonoma County, Nancy loved hiking in the national parks, visiting the wine country, and skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains with her family. Nancy also loved teaching Christopher music including piano and supported him while he performed in a variety of musical and theatrical productions while continuing to teach elementary school and piano for the Sonoma Country School District.
Nancy then returned to her home in Point Loma to be back by her friends and the ocean. Nancy was able to reconnect with her loved ones in Point Loma and make frequent trips to her favorite spots which were La Jolla Cove, Birch Aquarium, and Cabrillo National Monument where she would take long hikes by the cliffs and meditate while looking at the ocean. Nancy loved line dancing and would love to go out with her friends to country western events. Nancy also always loved animals and ended up falling in love with and adopting a cat named Gracie who wandered into her home. She spent the last years of her life being surrounded by her family, church friends, and loved ones including her caretaker Olef before she passed away.
Nancy passed away at UCSD Jacobs Hospital of cancer on March 4, 2023 at 3:40 PM.
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