Nancy Day of Billings, Montana, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2026, surrounded by her four children. She leaves a legacy of unconditional love, compassion, unwavering faith, and devotion to family. As countless friends and loved ones have said, “She was the kindest and most loving person I've ever known.”

Nancy Therese Fisher was born on December 8, 1936, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to John and Anne (Corrigan) Fisher. One of nine children, she was raised in a humble and devoutly Catholic home. During her childhood, the family endured the heartbreaking loss of both their brother, Johnny, and their father, John. Anne and her children worked together to keep the family strong and the household running.

As a young woman, Nancy held several jobs, including roller-skating carhop at a local drive-in, employee at a music store where she once assisted baseball legend Hank Aaron, and worker at the Gillette Rubber Tire Company. She graduated from Regis High School in Eau Claire in 1954. Through every challenge, the Fisher family remained remarkably close, thanks largely to their mother's insistence on family unity. Their bond was celebrated through numerous family reunions in Wisconsin (thank you, Tom!) and a memorable gathering in Billings.

Nancy met the love of her life through an unlikely long-distance connection. While serving during the Korean War, Ruben Day of Billings befriended Jim Donaldson of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. One day, a photograph of Jim's girlfriend, Mary Fisher, fell from his wallet. Ruben picked it up and asked, "Who is that beautiful girl standing next to Mary?" On a subsequent overseas phone call, Jim introduced Ruben to Mary's sister, Nancy. The two began exchanging letters, leading to Ruben's first visit to the Fisher home in Eau Claire.

Looking from a second-story window, Nancy saw Ruben arrive carrying flowers and dressed in neatly pressed clothes. She would later recall, “He was very, very handsome.” Ruben remained in Eau Claire, courting Nancy with devotion, including a single rose every Friday, a tradition that continued well into their marriage. They were married on June 7, 1958, at St. Patrick's Church in Eau Claire, with Jim and Mary Donaldson serving as best man and maid of honor. They were blessed with 62 years of marriage until Ruben’s passing on December 3rd, 2020.

Nancy and Ruben raised their four children at 331 Clark Avenue in Billings, a home and neighborhood they cherished for 35 years. In the 70’s more than 100 children filled the streets, boulevards, and front yards before and after the dinner bell. During a Clark Avenue block party in the early 1970s, Nancy helped rally neighbors to create what would eventually become the now-famous Halloween on Clark Avenue, enjoyed by thousands each year. She often reflected, “In the 1970s and 1980s, 500 to 600 pieces of candy wasn't enough. Now, thousands fall short. Who would have imagined?”

During their 35 years on Clark Avenue, Nancy and Ruben kept their front door open to everyone. While Ruben built a successful career in commercial insurance, Nancy devoted herself to her family and home. She guided her children's faith formation, became a second mother to countless friends and relatives, and provided the steady foundation of family life.

As parents of children in Billings Catholic Schools, Nancy and Ruben became deeply involved in Catholic education. Together, they spent more than a decade serving in the Search program at Billings Central Catholic High School, helping foster the spiritual growth of students. Nancy also worked to expand Century Club membership to support Catholic education and later operated a small holiday-season business in the Hart-Albin Building.

Faith was the defining cornerstone of Nancy's life. She sought always to follow God's will and expressed her faith through service to others. She visited the sick, brought food to those in need, sat with the dying, and taught her children the importance of empathy, generosity and kindness. After reading about a local family whose home had been destroyed by fire, Nancy adopted them as a cause of her own and was instrumental in raising funds and resources to find a new home.

Nancy was honest with herself and others. She acknowledged her own shortcomings, discouraged conflict, encouraged reconciliation, and was committed to, “doing the right thing.” She offered her own suffering to God for the benefit of family and friends, often explaining, “This is what we are called to do.”

In 1981, Nancy joined friends on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Yugoslavia. The experience deepened her devotion to the Blessed Mother and inspired the formation of a monthly prayer group that continued throughout her life. Each day she faithfully prayed the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet during the 3 o'clock Hour of Mercy. Incredibly, she passed away at 3:30 p.m. on a Sunday, the day of Christ's Resurrection.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, John and Anne Fisher; her husband, Ruben; her grandson, Jamie Rains; her brothers, Gerry and Art Fisher; and her sisters, Shirley Weber, Mary Donaldson, and Cathy Clayton.

She is survived by her brother, Tom Fisher; her sister, Anne Carroll; her children, Joni Day-Rains (Jim), Mike (Lisa), Cathy, and Jim (Katie); her grandchildren, Casey and Haley Rains, Maria (Jordan) Henke, Molly (Zach) Hanser, Sarah (Josh) Kraft, Johnny Day, Gracie Day, Samantha Day, and Emily Day; and her seven great-grandchildren, Hayden, Sawyer, Royce, Briar, and Bellamy Henke, and Gabriel and Eli Hanser.

A Vigil Service beginning with recitation of the rosary will be held at 5:45 p.m. on Sunday, September 27, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 28, also at St. Thomas the Apostle Church.

Memorials in Nancy's name may be made to LaVie Health (Billings), Billings Catholic Radio, Mary Queen of Peace Parish Building Fund (Billings), or the Ruben Day "Viva Cristo Rey" Scholarship Fund through the Billings Catholic Schools Foundation.

Our family extends heartfelt gratitude to the nurses, physicians, and staff of St. Vincent Hospital, Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, and St. John's Transitional Rehabilitation Center for the compassionate and heroic care they provided Nancy during her final months, especially in her last days.

Mom, your name will always remain a household word, and we will live knowing you are near…just around the corner. We will continue to love as you loved, awaiting the beautiful day we are all together again.

To be continued...