An Eastern instructor who died at 3:30 p.m. Saturday after a short struggle with breast cancer will be missed for her humor, dedication, and love of teaching.

Nancy Britton, 51, was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, the eventual cause of her death, in February, said Sean Britton, Mrs. Britton’s oldest son.

Inflammatory breast cancer is a particular kind of breast cancer that only occurs in about 4 percent of breast cancer cases, said Janelle Carey, English instructor.

“It’s a particularly deadly form of breast cancer, very quick,” she said.

Sean viewed the cancer as “very aggressive.”

Carey said Mrs. Britton’s health was normal last year until she was diagnosed, and then the disease progressed very quickly.

“Her friends will miss her most of all for her humor and laughter,” Carey said.

She said Mrs. Britton was a devoted and loyal friend who had a “delightful sense of humor.”

Sean said the best word to describe his mom is “vibrant.”

“She was always involved and active with those in the community,” he said.

Although her death was not sudden, Sean said it is still hard to deal with because of the form of her death and her young age.

“Watching her cancer progress was very difficult for everyone,” Sean said.

Johnetta Jones, assistant professor of Minority Student Affairs, said Mrs. Britton had a sharp wit, was hard-working, and loved her students. She “practiced tough love”, yet was really committed to her students, she said.

Dan Thornburg, retired journalism professor and former adviser of the Eastern News, who has known Mrs. Britton since the mid-1970s, said she was a forthright person who let people know if they were doing something wrong. He said he suspects she was a challenge to her students.

“There would be students who tried to plagiarize, and they didn’t get away with it, and they shouldn’t,” Thornburg said.

Carey said one of the saddest things about Mrs. Britton’s illness was that she wasn’t able to come back to her job.

“She showed up the first day this semester and was so weak she just couldn’t make it,” Carey said, “but she tried.

“She absolutely loved teaching; that was one of her really true loves in life.”

Dana Ringuette, English department chair, said Mrs. Britton was hard-working, a dedicated teacher and was very committed to her work. He said students learned a lot from her.

“She was patient with, and very giving to, her students,” Ringuette said. “She’ll be missed because she was a wonderful person, a very good teacher, a valued colleague.”

Mrs. Britton was born and raised in Paris. She attended Eastern from 1968 to 1972. She married Gordon Britton, a news editor in Paris and a former editor for The Eastern News, in the winter of 1972. After her husband died five years ago, Mrs. Britton came back to Eastern to teach.

She taught English 1001 and 1002, and also worked in the Gateway/TRIO Office.

Jones said she was an excellent English teacher. She held workshops to “sharpen” the English skills of students in the Gateway program.

“The first time I met her, she was working with a special project in the Gateway program,” Jones said.

Mrs. Britton also worked as an academic adviser for those in the TRIO program, which was comprised of low income students, first generation students or students with disabilities.

“She really loved working with those kids,” Jones said. “She really felt as if she were doing something special.”

Mrs. Britton is survived by her son Sean and his wife Jody, who live in Michigan, and her other son, Ian, who lives in Terre Haute, Ind. She also is survived by sisters Jean Lee of Tennessee and Donna Jane of Jerseyville.

Following cremation, a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Stewart & Carroll Funeral Home in Paris. Visitation for friends will be held from 9-11 a.m. Thursday at Stewart & Carroll Funeral Home.