Nancy L Kesselmayer

Nancy quietly left our world on the afternoon of March 7th. She rested comfortably with her son and loving husband by her side and surrounded by her artwork and the prayers of those who loved her.

Nancy was born on a Wednesday in the spring of 1938, the only child of Henry M. and Nora G. (Salyers) Beavers, at Clinton County Hospital in Frankfort, Indiana weighing in at 8 lbs and 1 oz., and 21 inches long.

She had a strong loving relationship with her parents, and she spent summers enjoying her parents hometown of Prestonsburg, Kentucky with her many cousins in her early years. Along with great friendships with her many long-time friends from her public school days in Frankfort, Indiana. Her parents had left eastern Kentucky to pursue Henry's career in Frankfort, Indiana as a machinist with the Railroad just before her birth.

She excelled at school and enjoyed working at Dorner Park in Frankfort, Indiana where she played tennis as well. While attending First Presbyterian Church in downtown Frankfort.

Upon her graduation from Frankfort HIgh School in 1956, She was accepted to Indiana University where she would graduate from four years later with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education.

She taught at the elementary level for six years from 1960 to 1966 at Indianapolis and Munster, Indiana, along with Lansing, Illinois.

She had lots of fun as a young mother living in the South Chicago neighborhood of Hyde Park with her first husband, David L. Stampe and son, John, along with her best friends Larry and Dixie Boyd, and their son Channing.

Nancy quit full-time teaching upon her relocation to Columbus, Ohio from Chicago, Illinois, but she would work as a part-time tutor and substitute teacher during the late 60's and early 70's for the Columbus City Schools.

Nancy traveled during this time to every National Park in the western United States in 1970 and 1971. An avid outdoors women she camped out over 100 days in 1971 and drove over 15,000 miles on a single camping trip across the West. She traveled to Hawaii in 1973. She also climbed Mt. LeConte in the Great Smokey Mountains in 1975.

During her time with David, they would live in Orleans, Massachusetts on the elbow of Cape Cod and Nancy worked diligently on the campaign of George McGovern for President in 1972. McGovern lost a landslide to incumbent President Richard Nixon. But Nancy revelled in the fact that Massachusetts went to McGovern, the only state he won. She remained a loyal Democrat until her passing.

She became one of the great chefs of Indian and International Cuisine in the Midwestern United States and practiced the recipes of Julia Child as a housewife. She loved biographies and history, along with Travel. Her favorite movies were 1939's Gone with the Wind and 1965's Dr. Zhivago. Her favorite song was Midnight on the Oasis sung by Maria Muldaur.

She was dearly loved by the many neighborhood boys who loved her to a person as their unquestioned second mom, helping many of them to great heights in their professional careers as well. These men would include Michael Merullo, Chris Vetter, Stephen Melvin, Stephen Gifford, Jon Edwards, Frank Powers, Jerry Busby, Jeffrey Strayer, Paul Martell and David Shirk.

She would join Blue Shield Insurance Company as a Claims Examiner in 1973 and would rise to the position of Human Resources Manager for the state of Ohio before leaving the company in 1993.

Struck by the love bug, Nancy left her home in Cincinnati,Ohio to relocate to Toledo, Ohio to join Scott Kesselmayer, who she would marry shortly after, on February 5, 1994 and start a long-term marriage that would last blissfully for more than thirty years.

Initially, meeting Scott while on a trip to Put-in-Bay with her friends. Scott took the opportunity to introduce himself while at the Roundhouse Bar on the island

Scott and Nancy enjoyed many long joyous relationships with close friends and family for the remainder of her life.

Nancy lost her parents later in life, Henry in 1987 to cancer and strongly supported her mother Nora until her death over two decades later when she passed in 2009.

Scott and Nancy would be avid boaters for 30 years, with Scott rising to the level of Commodore, which meant attending a lot of functions representing the Point Place Boat Club where they were members.

They relocated their boat, The Iva Nora, to the Bay Point Boat Club in Marblehead due to water levels at Point Place. The boat was named after their respective mothers. They formed strong life-long friendships with their companions on the F Dock at the Bay Point Club who strongly support our family still.

Scott and Nancy were able to travel, while not boating, to spend time in many places such as Cape Cod, Arizona and Nevada (via train), Gulf Coast of Florida, The Great Lakes Region and their final big adventure to Europe (with her son John and partner, Angela) which included stops in England, Belgium, France and Tuscany for the marriage of her son's Godson, Jordan Melvin, to his wife Ally in June of 2023.

Nancy is survived by adoring husband, Scott and only son John, along with his partner, Angela Picklesimer and her children, Hayli and Grant. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews on both the Stampe and Kesselmayer families. along with Scott's surviving brothers Brian and Phillip, sister Toni (Butch). Her former stepsons; Jon, James, Timothy and Theodore Arnholt, along with Michael Cappell. She is also survived by John's sister Elizabeth Stampe and her husband Marty Roberts, and son Aylen Roberts. In addition to hundreds of dear friends she is leaving.

Family and friends will be received Monday, March 16, 2026 from 2-5 p.m. at Maison-Dardenne-Walker Funeral Home, 501 Conant Street, Maumee, OH with a funeral service beginning at 5 p.m. Burial will be held Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. at Green Lawn Cemetery, Frankfort, IN. Condolences may be made online to the family at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com.