As she and her merry band of gospel singers are about to debut their long-running gospel show at The Pub, Lady Fancy discusses her tireless work ethic, including working right up to the lunch of her own funeral

Where did you grow up? In Indiana. How long have you lived in South Florida? For 17 years. Why did you move here? For the weather, but mostly because South Florida is such a gay-friendly place. What part of South Florida do you live in? In Oakland Park. What do you like most about living here? The winters. If you’ve ever lived in Indiana, you could relate (laughs). What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone, and why? Costello’s (it was called the Gin Mill when we first moved here). It was small, nice and we made a lot of friends there. Where do you hang out in South Florida? We’re pretty much home bodies now, but it looks like I’ll be hanging out at The Pub a lot more often.

The Happy Goodman Family, is a Southern gospel group that was founded in the 1940s by Howard “Happy” Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the first Grammy Award to be awarded for a gospel album by a gospel group.

What’s your claim-to-fame? I guess that would have to be The Gospel Jubilee Show. How did you come up with your name? I was given that name because of Nancy Ross. We were getting ready to do our first show, and I didn’t have a name yet. So someone said, “Nancy and Fancy,” but I don’t remember who stuck the “Lady” part in front of it. What was your first gig, ever? It was in Bob (Nancy Ross) and Paul’s back yard. What was your first gig in South Florida? It was at Monkey Business Bar. What’s the strangest thing that’s happened to you onstage? I took one step too far to the right once, and I fell of the stage. Talk about humbling.

If you could only do one anymore—play the piano or MC—which would you choose, and why? That would have to be, play the piano. It’s always been my favorite thing to do. Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now? I don’t have an “old job.” I’ve been a hairdresser since I was 17. It’s been a long time (laughs). Will you ever retire? My standard answer to that is that I’ll be working up until the lunch of my funeral. What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around? Liza Minnelli. What’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why? New York City, because Ron and I got married there. It’s just a wonderful, exciting and magical place.

What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older? To forgive and forget. Life is too short to hang on to so much stuff that is over and done with. What’s your best characteristic? My sense of humor. At least I think so, but I may be the only one. How do you enjoy spending your time? With my husband and our dogs. What celebrity do you have a crush on? There are too many to name. If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be, and why? I’d bring back my best friend, Denise. She was a drag queen trapped in a woman’s body. We could finish each other’s sentences. Where would you go in a time machine, and why? I’d go to the 1940s because of the music, the clothes and the cars.

What would your last meal be? That’s easy—pizza! What do you worry about? Being left alone after you’ve lost a partner. If you were a musical instrument, what would you be, and why? The piano, just because it’s my favorite. Are you more like a sheep or a wolf? A sheep. Who are you closest with? Ron, my husband. What would your autobiography be called? Oh What a Journey. What music do you listen to when you’re upset? Gospel music. What’s on your bucket list? To have my face pulled back up to where it used to be (laughs). What’s something that you never told anyone else? Well I certainly can’t tell it now in this interview (laughs). Where can we see you? At The Pub!

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March may have gone out like a lamb, but Scandals Saloon didn’t. On a cloudy afternoon, and after a week of record-breaking rain, Scandals Saloon, the only gay country bar in South Florida, closed its doors for good last Sunday. The sudden closing, with barely more than a week’s notice, was not without emotion. Longtime patron and Gospel Jubilee cast member, Doug Blevins, said, “I’ve been crying all week.” Others lamented that the bar was one of the few places left where strangers actually talked and socialized with each other. The closing may have been precipitated by the lack of public parking when Kmart—the neighbor across the street—closed, thereby forcing patrons to utilize valet. Regardless, hoards came out of hibernation to say farewell to the popular bar, as it was more crowded than its been in years.