Michael Nan Oakes (“Nan”) of Lander, Wyoming was born on November 28, 1943 in Newark, New Jersey. She was the oldest of three sisters: Janice was seven years younger, and Beverly was born seven years after Janice. Nan’s parents had wanted a boy, so their firstborn was stuck with the name “Michael” her whole life – hence the quickly adopted use of her middle name “Nan”. She grew up in northern New Jersey and graduated from Rutherford High School in 1961. Her high school senior photo says “100 words a minute but no typewriter” which explains her first job out of high school.
After graduation, Nan worked as a secretary at the Prudential insurance company. She even competed in the Prudential beauty pageant in 1964 which she was especially proud of.
Nan enjoyed recreating outdoors and was part of a boating group along the Hudson River. It was in this group of friends that she met Cornelius “Neil” David Heerschap who she later married in May of 1969 in Rutherford, New Jersey. That group of boating friends remained friends for the rest of their lives.
Nan and Neil bought a house on the shores of Pinecliff Lake in West Milford, NJ and became part of the Pinecliff Lake Community Club, and they continued to enjoy recreating on the lakes and rivers of northern NJ and the Adirondacks for many decades. They even won a championship in couples log rolling but unfortunately no photo or video evidence of this episode survives.
They had their first son, David Michael Heerschap, in 1978, followed by their second son Ryan Thomas Heerschap in 1979. Nan worked as a nanny while raising David and Ryan, helping many other families in their community with their child-rearing duties for several decades. Neil was a postal service truck driver who preferred the night shift so he could be with the boys for most of their waking hours. They traveled the Eastern seaboard by RV each year and enjoyed beach and pool time together, including summers up at Otter Lake in the Adirondacks. One of Nan’s favorite pastimes was sunbathing on the beach, whether next to the ocean or a lake. Nan loved animals and always had multiple pets in the house. Nan and Neil were dedicated band parents, traveling to follow Ryan and David’s marching band all over the Tri-State area.
Nan and Neil lived in West Milford, NJ together, married over 40 years, until Neil’s passing in 2011. Nan became certified as a home health aid, further serving those in her community. In 2019, Nan moved west to Wyoming to be closer to her son David and his family, and she lived for four years in the wonderful community of Mountain Vista. She attended the Wind River Community Church for several years, followed by the Covenant Presbyterian Church. During the last decade of her life, Nan really reconnected with her faith and leaned heavily on the fellowship offered by her church communities. Nan enjoyed driving around Lander and Riverton in her blue Honda CRV, and helped the community through Meals on Wheels and even had a stint working at Bomgaars recently. Nan enjoyed social visits with friends and family over coffee during all times of day. Boy did she love her coffee! She also enjoyed spending time with the grandchildren, providing them with plenty of gifts and candy.
In July 2024, Nan was moved out to the Morning Star Nursing Home in Ft. Washakie where she was lovingly cared for by their amazing staff and community of elders.
Nan passed away on Friday, November 15, 2024 and is survived by her eldest son David, daughter-in-law Lauren, and granddaughter Hannah of Lander, WY; her younger son Ryan, daughter-in-law Antonella, and grandchildren Louisa and Thomas of Denville, NJ; her younger sister Janice Hallett and family in New Jersey and her youngest sister Beverly Puzio and family of Gilbert, AZ.