Nancy E. (Brown) Hancock

Nancy Eileen (Brown) Hancock, 90 years young of Lunenburg MA, formerly of Leominster MA, passed away at home on the evening of Saturday June 6, 2020 with her family by her side after a short battle with Stage 4 Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

Nancy was born on October 27, 1929 in Fitchburg MA. She was the daughter of the late George E. Brown and Mae C. (Gorman) Brown. She graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1947 and went on to a full career of being a meticulous bookkeeper in the manufacturing, Insurance and automotive fields.

Nancy was very involved with Relay for Life for many years with the team The Georgia Peanuts and was a former member of United Commercial Travelers of America. In addition she enthusiastically supported another favorite charity, the Alzheimer’s Pentathlon at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Leominster, started by family friend Debbie Facey and supported by her children Doug and Brenda in honor of their fathers who both passed of Alzheimer’s complications, to provide funds to support Alzheimer’s research at UMass Medical School.

Born two days into the Great Depression, she led a full life. She enjoyed shopping, yard sales and flea markets, especially with her late friends Diane and Natalie, as well as painting ceramics with her dear friend Carolyn. In her younger days she was an avid dancer and spent many enjoyable evenings dancing at the Whalom Park Ballroom and other local dancehalls, and she loved to reminisce of those times.

Renowned for having/tolerating the many parties on Grand Street, her fan base was huge. She loved being with the many people that would attend, she could ‘always make room for one more’, “the more the merrier” and she always lovingly insisted on doing ALL of the cooking. Loved by everyone that knew her, and whether you knew her as Nancy, Nance-Babe, Gertrude, or other loving nicknames, you knew that she was always the best. She was truly one of a kind.

Mrs. Hancock’s greatest accomplishment will always be her family.

She is survived by her son Douglas, his wife Brenda and their children Kaylee, Nadine and Adrienne. Her daughter Brenda, her husband Henry and their children Dominick, Katie, Toni and Samantha as well as her stepson James Hancock and her last remaining sibling, Gerald Brown of California.

In total, Nancy leaves 13 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and 8 great-great grandchildren. Although she was a stepmother and step-grandmother, she never really cared for the terms. Family was family and titles did not matter. Many friends were family as well, and she was proud to be a part of each and every one of their lives.

Along with her parents, she is predeceased by her husband Philip R. Hancock whom she adored, who passed away on December 26, 1986 from Alzheimer’s disease, her six brothers, Philip, Douglas, George Jr., Donald, Carlton and Milton, her sister Bettina (Brown) Buckley and her step daughter Patricia (Hancock) Giacomozzi.

She spent her golden years at Emerald Place (on the site of the old Whalom Park) in a beautiful third floor apartment with a view of the lake that she simply loved (and she told everyone so). Dynamic, organized, and hard to keep up with right up until the end, she was legendary in everyone’s eyes and always will be. She will never be forgotten.

At Nancy’s request, services will be private . A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

The family would like to thank Debbie from the VNA in Worcester, not only for the care that Nancy received at home but for the support she gave to Nancy’s children and loved ones during this difficult time.

Memorial contributions may be made in Nancy or Philip’s name to the ASPCA.

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