Nancy Watson Wingo

Nancy Watson Wingo, my “Gal Pal” of nearly 20 years has passed.  She died late in the evening, under hospice care, with her daughter Leanne at her side.

I met Nancy when I was perusing the classmates.com website, looking for email addresses I didn’t already have on my own Crawford High web site.  She wasn’t on my web site or even on my list of the graduating class of 1962.  She wasn’t even in the annual!  I contacted her, to point out the error of her ways, and learned that she’d attended Andrew Jackson Elementary and Horace Mann Junior High, only to have her parents move the family to Escondido.  Her heart remained with the many friends she’d made growing up in the Crawford attendance area.  “Oh, by the way,” she added, “I sat behind you in Mrs. Bruner’s English class at Horace Mann and I can tell you what you wore on Dress Up Day.”  I had no idea what I wore on Dress Up Day, so I had to take her word for it. 

Nancy was “GU” (Geographically Undesirable), but we started meeting for lunch at locations halfway between Pacific Beach and Escondido.  Eventually I made it all the way to Escondido for dinner and she frequently traveled to Pacific Beach. Many of the Crawford grads who read my Fry Day emails looked forward to hearing where Nancy and I would be having breakfast. We especially enjoyed Saturday nights at The Amigo Spot and frequent breakfasts at the Waffle Spot in Mission Valley.

When I became the Commanding Officer of the San Diego Squadron of the Association of Naval Aviation, Nancy became Executive Officer and Chief Photographer.  We enjoyed paying visits to squadrons at Miramar, Camp Pendleton, and North Island.  We even made trips to MCAS Yuma and NAS El Centro to meet with the Blue Angels.

I quit driving in 2012 after an accident and Nancy became the chauffeur.  Her health failed in recent years and we both ended up in assisted-living facilities, me in late 2024 and Nancy a few months ago. 

I hope she’s now in a better place.      

 

Nancy and John at Old Town Mexican Cafe • Nancy tries on a
helmet during a visit to a helicopter squadron at Camp Pendleton.

Local Squadrons Where Nancy Took Pictures


 

John, Stephanie Petersen, and Nancy at the Waffle Spot
• John and Nancy at the Amigo Spot

Me, Padre Announcer Jerry Coleman, Maggie Coleman, movie star Mitzi
Gaynor and Nancy at a fundraiser at what I still call Vacation Village.