Nancy Kathleen Pledger

Nancy Kathleen Noble Pledger died gracefully in the comfort of her home on June 1, 2020. She was a devoted wife and mother, loyal friend, and doting grandmother. She was elegant, self-assured, well read, and, with her wonderfully eclectic taste, a collector of all things interesting and fabulous. The consummate hostess, she regaled family and friends with her stories, wit and intellect over cocktails or fabulous gourmet dinners. 

Mrs. Pledger was born in La Junta, Colorado to Bernadine Finally and to Joseph Austin Noble, whom she fondly referred to as a “railroad man.”  She attended the University of New Mexico where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She also attended the University of Oklahoma. In 1948, she married Flave Pledger. They reared their two children, Stella Jane and Joseph Flave, in Orange, Texas before moving to Lake Charles in 1977.  

Mrs. Pledger loved Lake Charles and was very active in the community.  She served as a deputy clerk for the Third Circuit Court of Appeal. She served as President of the Lake Charles Symphony and of the Lake Charles Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Association and was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. Mrs. Pledger was always promoting some cause — whether it was obtaining signatures on zoning petitions, hosting dinners for the Episcopal Day School auction, fundraising for the Lake Charles Symphony, or knocking on doors campaigning for her candidate. She enjoyed her work and colleagues, played copious amounts of bridge and Mah Jongg with friends she held dear, tried out the latest recipes and traveled the world.

Mrs. Pledger was preceded in death by her husband Flave, her daughter Sally and her son Joe. She is survived by her dear friends Courtney and Robert Dampf, and her “adopted” grandchildren, Morgia Holmes (Todd), Ben Dampf (Katherine), and Jack Dampf. Words cannot express the gratitude felt for her loving caregivers, Dana and Kim Poullard, and their mother, Evelyn.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date due to the pandemic.

Memorial donations may be made to the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, the Lake Charles Symphony, or the McNeese State University Foundation.