As a physical therapist in the Navy, Nancy Humberstone knew her work healing bodies would continue long after her military service was over. She was as dedicated to the wounded as she was teaching the science of physical therapy, friends and family said.
Mrs. Humberstone was a stickler for the details when she taught, because she believed each step was important, said Nancy Wise, a colleague and former student.
“She cared that you understood everything, the entire concept,” Ms. Wise said. “She wanted to make sure you knew it from beginning to end. And if you didn’t get it the first time, she would go over it until you got it. She wanted your best.”
And her personal touch, including a smile and a laugh, made patients, students and coworkers alike, feel special, Ms. Wise said.
“You know you were cared about,” she said.
Eight years ago, just before Mrs. Humberstone’s 58th birthday, her friends and family tried to return all of the love they’d received, as she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.
Nancy Louise Humberstone, of Gainesville, Ga., died Jan. 7 of complications associated with the disease in The Villages, Fla., where she shared a second home with her husband. She was 65. A memorial service was held Saturday at Briarlake Baptist Church in Decatur. Her body was cremated by National Cremation Society, Fruitland Park, Fla.
Born in Medford, Mass., Mrs. Humberstone earned a bachelor’s of science degree from Boston University in 1968. After graduation, she joined the Navy where she served as a staff physical therapist until 1970, her family said. During her service, which was during the Vietnam War, Mrs. Humberstone was committed to helping wounded sailors through physical therapy.
“She’d say it didn’t matter if you agree with this war or not, but those kids needed help,” said Sheila Humberstone, her daughter who lives in DeKalb County. “She said we had to take care of those who made a very large sacrifice of their health and well-being.”
When she finished her military service, Nancy Humberstone enrolled in Emory University in pursuit of a master’s of medical science, so she could teach physical therapy to others. She graduated in 1974, and by 1976 she was teaching cardiopulmonary physical therapy at Emory.
Sheila Humberstone said her mother “really wanted to make a difference in the field of physical therapy,” which is why she started teaching.
“She still got to care for patients, but she also got to educate the next generation of therapists,” Ms. Humberstone said.
Nancy Humberstone’s love for physical therapy could also be seen at home, her daughter said.
“She worked on shoulders, knees, backs and elbows in our living room,” Sheila Humberstone wrote in a memorial tribute to her mother. “She wanted to be certain an injury did not sideline a friend for long.”
Mrs. Humberstone is also survived by her husband of 36 years, Dennis Humberstone of Gainesville, Ga., and The Villages, Fla.; a second daughter, Priscilla Humberstone Overton of Raleigh, N.C. and a sister, Gayle Swift of Stewart, Fla.
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