Nancy Songhe Park

Obituary

Nancy Songhe Park, doting mother, beloved daughter, admired sister, and loyal friend – as well as compassionate healer and fierce advocate for justice – passed into eternity peacefully on May 25th in Watsonville after a brief battle with brain cancer at the age of 50. She is survived by her two children, Oskar and Olympia, her parents, Young Wu and Hee Woo, her siblings, James (wife: Soo) and Carol (husband: Moises), and her nieces and nephews, Selah, August, Henry, Max, and Nora.

Born in Chicago to South Korean immigrants, Nancy was the eldest of three siblings and grew up in Bakersfield, California. Nancy attended Bakersfield Adventist Academy for elementary and junior high school, and graduated from Highland High School, where she was voted prom queen.

Nancy moved east to attend Columbia College in New York City, earning a BA in Economics in 1998. After graduation, Nancy stayed in New York and held jobs in finance consulting (Orion Consultants), institutional sales (Lehman Brothers), and real estate. But she never felt these fields were a good fit and pivoted her career, studying acupuncture at Tri-State College of Acupuncture.
Prior to starting at Tri-State, Nancy embarked on travel through Southeast Asia. She met her the father of her children, Dan Hansen, on a boat in Thailand. They moved back to NYC, settling in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn and marrying in 2005. After graduating from Tri-State, Nancy started a thriving acupuncture practice in Manhattan. Oskar and Olympia were born at home in Brooklyn. The family relocated to Santa Cruz for a change of scenery and to return back to Nancy’s California roots.

Nancy worked in conference production and as an AIrbnb host before returning to acupuncture school to earn her California certification. She opened up her practice in Santa Cruz County, offering sliding scale and pro bono healing in addition to private clients. Her career took another pivot, venturing into fundraising for UCSC, and most recently as the Director of Development at the Resource Center for Nonviolence, where she felt she’d finally and truly found her work home.

Nancy was actively involved in her children’s education and development, chairing various committees at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School and Santa Cruz High School. Motivated by a strong sense of social justice, Nancy volunteered with the Native Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and could be found advocating for a more just and caring world.

In her final months, Nancy achieved what very few do as they face their own mortality: a sense of peace and joy. Before succumbing to glioblastoma, she told her family that she felt happier now than during any other period in her life. She passed suddenly, without great impairment or tremendous suffering, surrounded by her family and loved ones.

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June 29, 2026

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We will always remember and treasure the time we spent with Nancy ❤️Our AAPI group came together after the Atlanta murders of the Korean women. She participated and shared her healing at her home, hosting a book club “Minor Feelings “, and with the RCNV hosted the Hope for Peace , making and teaching others in making origami cranes, as well as hosting the Celebration of Chinese American Legacy❤️💐. Much love and gratitude to this beautiful soul, rest in peace and power❤️

Lucien Kubo

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