August 7, 2020
Fairport – August 4, 2020. Survived by Timothy Hughes, her husband of 58 years and four daughters, Maureen (Brian) Nornhold, Bridget (Daniel) Doyle, Deborah (Fernando) Carranza and Sarah (Daniel) Smith. Also survived by seven grandchildren: Patrick, Emily, Kerry, Timothy, Matthew, Madelyn and Liam. Four brothers and sisters also mourn her passing: Joseph (Jan) Ely, Daniel Ely, Alice (Paul) Marx and Mary Patricia Biek, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Nancy celebrated her 81st birthday on August 2. Born in Cedar Rapids, IA, she was predeceased by her parents, J. Max Ely and Mary Generose Ely and a sister, Mary Kay (Ron) Rehmann.
Nancy grew up in Cedar Rapids and graduated from Mercy High School and Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. She taught eighth grade English before she and Tim were married on June 9, 1962. Many twists and turns throughout the Midwest and East Coast led them to settle in Fairport, NY in 1973 where the family stayed put for the next 46 years before moving 10 minutes away to the Victor area in 2019.
Primarily a homemaker devoted to raising her four daughters, Nancy did venture into the workaday world as a retail sales associate and a real estate agent. A devout Catholic, she served as a religious education teacher for many years at Saint John of Rochester parish where she also was a eucharistic minister and member of the Respect Life Committee. She also served as president of the Fairport chapter of the American Association of University Women where she developed long-time friendships with her fellow bridge group members. They were especially impressed with her special mushroom croustade hors d’oeurves which became required fare at social get-togethers. Tending to the gardens around her home was a constant source of enjoyment for Nancy. She spent long hours planting, trimming, pruning, and weeding. With the harvest season, she turned her attention to the annual family Thanksgiving celebration. While relatives from far and wide challenged each other in the afternoon Turkey Bowl, Nancy would be focused on how she was going to feed 20 or so celebrants, who would soon be sitting down to sumptuous fare served up with the finest of fine china and crystal. She brightened the day of everyone with her memorable one-of-a-kind laugh.
The family would like to extend sincere thanks to the leadership and staff at the Memory Care Center at Creekstone and the UR Medicine Hospice teams. Their dedication to Nancy’s comfort and well-being during her stay was outstanding. And we will always appreciate the thoughtful guidance of Dr. Cheryl Williams of the UR/Thompson Hospital Palliative Care unit and Dr. Patrick Nunno, Eastside Internal Medicine
A Funeral mass for Nancy will be held at 11 a.m. Monday August 10 at Saint John’s of Rochester church, 8 Wickford Way, Fairport, NY. For those family and friends who live out of the area, the service will be livestreamed from the church. www.stjohnfairport.org Burial will be at the Cedar Grove Cemetery Mausoleum, Notre Dame, IN, Aug. 14.
In lieu of flowers consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association and/or the American Heart Association.
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