Nancy Hoyt

Nancy Lundgren Hoyt passed away Dec. 8, 2011, after a long and courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). She would have celebrated her 35th wedding anniversary next month to her soul mate, John. He was the love of her life, and together they raised three children in a loving and nurturing home.

Nancy Hoyt was an amazing woman, wife, and mother. She volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, served on numerous boards and committees with the United Methodist Church and served eight years on the Planned Parenthood board of directors for Central Texas. Nancy was a 1974 graduate of Elgin High School and attended Sam Houston State University, where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and met her husband John. She graduated from Texas Women's University in 1978 with a degree in Home Economics Education.

Nancy loved to travel and visited 34 different countries throughout the course of her life, many of them multiple times. Nancy and her daughter Emily Hoyt Crew, were original cast members of the Amazing Race on CBS and shared an incredible adventure together. Nancy's love of travel was not just about seeing highlights, but about understanding the people and their culture. One of her fondest memories was giving pens to children in Cambodia. Whether she was walking on the Great Wall of China, climbing mountains in Patagonia, zip lining in Costa Rica or running through a market in Tunisia, Nancy loved the journey. Nancy enriched the travel experience for those around her with her brave exploits; from eating a witchetty grub in Australia, to honing her skills at a cooking school in Tuscany. Nancy was willing to truly embrace and experience the richness the various cultures had to offer. She loved cooking, sewing, spending time with her puppies, and dining (especially with her cherished and beautiful friends). She was surrounded until the end with incredible love by her friends and family and will be eternally missed and forever remembered.

Nancy was preceded in death by her beloved brother, Greg Lundgren.

Nancy is survived by her husband, John Hoyt Jr. of Woodway; daughter, Emily and her husband, Matt Crew, of Austin; sons, Matthew Hoyt of New Braunfels, and Eric Hoyt of Springdale, Ark.; grandchildren, Andrew Hoyt and Caroline Crew; parents, Shirley and E.O. "Sammy" Lundgren Jr., of Elgin; brothers, Stan Lundgren of Santa Cruz, Calif., Brad and Mark Lundgren of Elgin.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to the ALS Association of South Texas: 8705 Shoal Creek Blvd., Suite 114, Austin, Texas 78757 (512) 371-1718, or Planned Parenthood of Central Texas, PO Box 1518 Waco, Texas 76703 (254) 759-5750.