A viewing for Nancy Spears, 83, will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, followed by a Catholic Rosary, at Allen Mortuary. A funeral Mass of Catholic burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 20 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial will follow the mass at Turlock Memorial Park. Lunch will be served following the ceremonies.
Nancy was born March 25, 1926, in San Jose to Anthony and Catherine LaCross who immigrated from Calabrese, Italy. She attended schools in Hilmar, where her family was involved in farming. She married Hoyle O. Spears on Jan. 18, 1954, and settled in Turlock. They raised their family on a small ranch and enjoyed a sustainable life-style that included lots of horsemanship activities, 4-H projects, community gatherings and years of memories with family and friends.
Nancy and Hoyle moved their family to Longview, Wash. in 1968 for three years then returned to Turlock in 1971. Nancy was a dedicated homemaker who worked part-time at Penguin Ice Cream only after the children were older.
She was a faithful member of Sacred Heart Church and a former volunteer at the Catholic Thrift Shop. Nancy was a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother who loved being involved in the lives of her family.
She is survived by her daughters, Sally Fairbank of Bainbridge Island, Wash., Carlotta Land and Jane Mooneyham of Turlock and Nancy Warner of Modesto; son, Gary Spears of Modesto; sisters, Florence Moitozo and Josephine Demboski of Modesto, and Jane Marie of Limerick, Maine; brothers, Verne LaCross of Riverbank, and Julio, John, and Sam LaCross of Modesto; grandchildren, Brandon Hallum, Jennifer Land and Nancy Covarrubias of Turlock, Clayton Hallum of Bainbridge Island, Wash., Craig Crismon, Cheryl Cox, Anya Spears, Gary Spears, Karen Spears, Taryn Spears and Kayla Sai; and six great grandchildren.  
She was preceded in death by her husband, Hoyle Spears; sons, Odell Spears and Gene Spears; and sisters, Lucy Parr and Mary Hendrix.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful staff at Brandel Manor and Hospice of Emanuel. Please share your memories at www.allenmortuary.com.