When I became a dad in 2017, I needed a new gym. Going to the campus where I was employed for an early morning workout and then transitioning straight to work was no longer an option. I now had a baby to take care of.

I needed a gym close by with early morning hours. This would allow me to slip out of the house while my wife and daughter were still sleeping, get my exercise in, and then return home so Sid could leave for work. I would then get Sloan ready for the day, spend time with her, and take her to daycare.

The local Myrtle Beach Gold’s Gym fit my needs perfectly. It had accommodating hours, fair membership fees, and all the necessary equipment. The 1980s vibe and gimmick-free environment also attracted me. Additionally, I would quickly learn that this gym also offered something that I had never sought nor knew (from a gym) before: community.

You see, Gold’s Gym had courteous members, a celebrated tradition, and a sense of support that radiated through the place.

And there was no mistaking that this special sense of community was fostered because of an obvious reason: the owners.

Thanks to Ted and Nancy Capp, many lives have been positively transformed.

Ted and Nancy Capp were the absolute best people. Humble, helpful, and fitness specimens themselves, the gym could not have been in better hands. They made me feel comfortable from the first day I walked in as I never once felt awkward even as giants worked out around me.

I got to know Nancy especially well. As the early bird I am, most mornings I would arrive at the gym right at opening, often walking in with Nancy as her dog trailed behind. We got to the point where she would text me if she might be a couple minutes late or if the gym was shifting to special hours on any certain day.

I really admired and fed off the energy Nancy would bring through the doors each day. The way she trained her clients was always so positive and the way she taught her classes was inspiring. No, I never actually joined one of Nancy’s classes but she graciously allowed me to perform my stretching/calisthenics routine in the studio when she was teaching them. Nancy’s dedication to her business went beyond body transformation as she focused on things that other gym owners overlook. For example, I can’t tell you how many times I observed Nancy meticulously cleaning the facility during those early mornings. 

Nancy Capp was a very special and kind human being.

To understand the type of person Nancy was, let me offer a quick story. After one workout in 2019, I realized my wedding ring was missing when I jumped into my car. Convinced that I had lost it in the gym, I went back inside and started re-tracing my steps. Nancy helped me turn the whole place over trying to locate it. After coming to terms that I wasn’t going to find it, Nancy assured me that it would turn up as I dejectedly walked out the doors. When I arrived home, I found my wedding ring on the floorboard of my car next to the seatbelt. Ecstatic but also mortified that Nancy spent so much energy trying to find a ring that wasn’t even in her gym to begin with, I called to tell her the news.

When she answered the phone and I told her I found it, she didn’t care that I wasted her time. Rather, she celebrated with me.

I was still a member when the transition from Gold’s Gym to Iron Legacy Gym transpired. The name changed but the heart and soul of the place didn’t. Eventually, my family moved out west in early 2020 and I had to say goodbye to the Capps. I let them know how much I appreciated their hospitality and that I would miss them.

When the Capps changed the name from Gold’s Gym to Iron Legacy Gym, the heart and soul of the place remained untouched. And of course, Nancy was still Nancy 🙂.

Over the past six years, we have made a handful of trips back to Myrtle Beach to visit my wife’s family. My priority list on those trips was always the same…

1. Spend time with Sid’s family
2. Attend mass at St. Andrew
3. Train at Iron Legacy 💪🏻
4. Everything else

Walking through the door and semi-surprising Nancy was always a joy. Catching up with her was even better. Just like with the gym itself, Nancy never seemed to change.

When I was a member at Iron Legacy in the late 2010s, Nancy would always text me if she was running late or hours were changing. After my family moved out west, she would still reply to my text messages when we came back to visit.

Just this past August, my family visited Myrtle Beach for a week at the beginning of the month. I had the blessing (and I truly mean that) to train at Iron Legacy on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7. When I pulled up bright and early that Thursday morning, Nancy was getting out of her car—just like old times. We walked in together and she got me set up with a visitor’s pass at a highly discounted rate. As we caught up, she told me about an appointment she was going to later that day.

The next morning I followed up with Nancy at the end of my workout. I asked her how yesterday went. She told me the news. We talked for a long time. I told her I would pray.

When I walked out those welcoming Iron Legacy doors that morning, I knew it might be the last time I saw Nancy. Sadly, that possibility proved correct. I learned about her passing reading the beautiful tributes of gym members I had met while training at Iron Legacy back in the late 2010s. Although not surprised by the news, I was very saddened.

Nancy Capp was a humble servant who I will always remember for how she treated me and for that smile (photo courtesy of Iron Legacy Gym).

In my mortal mind, Nancy was taken too soon. It is tough to see such a kind, purpose-driven person who epitomized a beacon of health pass at a relatively young age. But inspired by Nancy’s own rock-solid Christian faith, I trust in God regarding the timing.

Nancy Capp will be remembered as a humble servant who put others before her self. Personally, I will remember her as a positive and gentle influence who treated me the exact same way she treated the bodybuilders, celebrities, and fitness models who frequented her incredible gym. Perhaps the Capp family might consider one final name change for the business at 951 Jason Blvd: Iron Legacy Gym ➡️ Nancy Legacy Gym.

Please pray for the repose of Nancy’s soul. I consider myself extremely blessed that I knew her. Don’t Blink.