BRUNSWICK, ME Nancy Cornwall (nee Nancy Lee Ness) passed away peacefully in Brunswick, Maine. Born in York, she graduated from William Penn Senior High School and Temple University. Nancy was predeceased by her loving husband of 42 years, Richard S. Cornwall (who she married June 30, 1956), and her sisters, Louise Shadrock and Gloria Bibbo. She is survived by her four loving sons and daughters-in-law, Chris (Sallie), Richard (Annaliza), Brian, and David (Bridget); nine beloved grandchildren, Samuel, Megan, Nolan, Alex, Kalissa, Adele, Caitlin, Borden, Alanna; and one great-grandson, Marcus. Nancy was a resident of The Highlands in Topsham, Maine since 2000, and previously resided in East Haddam, Conn. for many years. Richard and Nancy were married on June 30, 1956, in York. They lived and started their family in the Philadelphia suburbs until 1967. They subsequently lived for brief periods in Grosse Pointe, Mich., Fayetteville, N.Y., and Wayzata, Minn. Nancy devoted herself to the joyful rigors of raising her sons and was an exceptional role model, nurse, advocate, and referee to them. She also devoted time to a variety of community activities important for her, including the Michigan Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, the East Haddam Garden Club, the Highlands Community Association, Beckett Academy and the Pike School. Nancy was an avid gardener and amateur botanist, and, in lieu of flowers, the family requests that remembrances be directed to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 19, 2014, at The Holden Frost House, 26 Elm St., Topsham, ME 04086. Arrangements are under the direction and care of Brackett Funeral Home, Brunswick.
Published in York Daily Record & York Dispatch on Feb. 19, 2014