With sorrow I announce the death of Nancy Anton, an original and founding member of the News Hounds. For most of the time I knew her, starting in early 2004, she suffered from serious health problems. Those problems prevented her from participating in the blog several years ago. But she was an important force in the blog whose presence was felt long after she retired from it.

Nancy and I didn't always get along. But I came to like her very much, especially as I watched her deal with extreme adversity with equanimity and good humor. We never met though we spoke several times on the phone. Still, Nancy had a way of making a deep impression.

Marie Therese, another former News Hound, sent me this memory about Nancy to share:

Nancy Anton was an in-your-face woman who wouldn't let a rare autoimmune disease stop her from living life.  Even though she and I never met in person, we got to know each other through emails and the occasional phone conversation.  In spite of this, the news of her passing came with the same intensity as if we both lived in the same city and saw each other on a regular basis.  Nancy had a wicked sense of humor, a passion for politics and a thoroughly educated opinion about everything.  I urge anyone who wants to remember her to do what I did:  Break open a bottle of bubbly and raise a glass in honor of a gutsy, indomitable broad who didn't let illness stop her from making a difference.  

I couldn't have said it better myself, MT. Here's a toast to you, Nancita.