Nanette Louise Blackwood, 77, of Harrisonville, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas. Services will be held at a later date.

Born on October 4, 1948, in Salina, Kansas, Nanette was the daughter of Leo Richard and Coraalice Mae (Patterson) Ross. She spent her early years in rural Salina, attending a one-room schoolhouse before her family moved to Harrisonville in 1965. There, she graduated from Harrisonville High School in the class of 1966, laying the foundation for a life devoted to learning and nurturing others.

Nanette pursued her passions by attending Southwest Missouri State University, earning a teaching degree before embarking on a career as a middle school teacher in Norfolk, Virginia. Yet, driven by an unwavering desire to serve those in need, she returned to Harrisonville in 1987 to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. She began her journey at Camden Health Care and pursued her LPN nursing degree at Penn Valley Community College in Kansas City, ultimately dedicating nearly three decades to the compassionate care of her patients before retiring in 2016.

Nanette was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Leo Ross; and her sister, Avida Kinzinger. She is survived by two daughters: Rachelle "Shelly" (Ken) Rankin, Merwin, MO; and Darcie Blackwood, Harrisonville, MO; a sister, Rita (Steve) Schindler, Harrisonville, MO; three grandchildren: Dustin (Caity) Rankin, Tanner Rankin, and Austin Rankin; and three great-grandchildren: Tobias, Rowan, and Theodore.