Nancy Bartholomew Obituary

Passed away in Austin, Texas on Saturday, May 21, 2016, at the age of 81 due to complications related to multi-infarct dementia.

A resident of Durango for 16 years, Nancy was born Nancy Gail Swanberg in Quincy, Illinois, on May 15, 1935, to Dr. William Harold Swanberg and Mildred Chapman Wilber. Her father served as the local radiologist and the family enjoyed a level of prominence in the community. Due to her intelligence, she started college at the early age of 15 attending the University of Chicago. She later studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Missouri, Columbia where she was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority and engaged in student government as well as the Association of Women Students, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English at the age of 20 in 1955.

Throughout her early adult years, Nancy enjoyed a variety of budding careers including modeling, writing, and journalism. In 1956, Nancy married Joseph Don Isaacs (1933-2008) of Faucett, Missouri. While the marriage only lasted a few years, the union produced two children, Joseph Bradley Isaacs in Sacramento, and Brenda Gail Isaacs (Booth) in Kansas City; she remained friendly with the Isaacs family throughout her life.

Nancy moved to Houston, Texas in the 1960s. There she wrote articles for The Houston Post and taught medical writing at Baylor College of Medicine. Among her many accomplishments, she was a 1963 Fellowship Recipient of the American Medical Writers Association, an organization founded by her father in 1940.

In 1969, Nancy married John Elliot Bradshaw (1935-2016) of Houston, who would later become a best-selling author, nationally known speaker, and television personality. Nancy helped fuel John's early rise to prominence by marketing his lectures and workshops through Bradshaw Cassettes, a company she founded. She was an active member of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, participated in various educational organizations in Houston, and was heavily involved in the gestalt therapy community. Married twenty years, Nancy and John had one son, John Elliot Bradshaw Jr., and continued as business associates for several years following their divorce in 1989. They remained lifelong friends.

In the 1990s, Nancy met E.L. "Yogi" Bartholomew of Imperial, Nebraska. Together, they moved to Durango, Colorado, where she purchased a stately home in the mountains along the Animas River. The two married in 1993. During the Durango years, Nancy had an active life in the community and was involved in equestrian activities and Bandanas & Boots, a local organization raising funds for charity.

Nancy's struggle with dementia began with an early diagnosis in 2000; Yogi became her primary care-giver and assumed control of her estate and assets. In 2008, he brought Nancy back to Texas where he used her assets to purchase properties in Kerrville, Waco, and Stephenville. Concerned for her well-being, her children stepped in and Yogi departed; his whereabouts are currently unknown. Once under the guardianship of her children, Nancy and Yogi were divorced in 2013 after a lengthy legal process. Nancy's final years were spent in comfort at Silverado Memory Care Community in Bee Cave, Texas, just north of Austin. She was surrounded by her children at the time of her death.

Throughout her life, Nancy had a remarkable financial acumen and a wide range of pursuits and hobbies, each of which she approached with an intensity and single-mindedness that reflected her high intelligence and eclectic interests. Often reserved in public, she had a wonderful vitality and earnestness, a deep love for family and friends, and endearing eccentricities that made her a unique and remarkable person.

She is survived by her eldest sister Jo Ann Spiva Kimball of Poway, California; son Joseph Bradley Isaacs of Austin; daughter Brenda Isaacs Booth of Austin; son John Elliot Bradshaw Jr. of Houston; grandchildren Liam Elliot Booth, Jackson Cowdrey Booth, and Cassie Rose Isaacs, all of Austin; and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins spanning the country.

A memorial service in her honor will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, 2016 at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, 6221 Main Street, in Houston, Texas. The Reverend Neil Alan Willard will officiate. Nancy's remains will be interred with those of her father at the Woodland Cemetery Mausoleum in Quincy, Illinois.

Customary remembrances are being handled through Bradshaw-Carter Memorial & Funeral Services (bradshawcarter.com), (713) 521-0066. Nancy's three children welcome messages from her friends, colleagues, and classmates at the following email: [email protected].