Nancy Gregory

Nancy Gregory was born in 1941 and enjoyed a happy life in her early years living with her three brothers and her mother and father until she met Ted Gregory in July 1962.  Nancy and Ted were  married in December 1962.  Since that time they moved quickly and never stopped.

She began her marriage with a strong love that endured for 52+ years.  From the beginning, she displayed artistic talent which she began to cultivate by enrolling in art classes at Akron University.  Soon after Nancy and Ted married, they moved to France.  She loved every day of her time in France, learning basic French as well as excelling at cooking.  Upon returning to the US, and when children entered her life in 1965 and 1968, she postponed the development of her artistic talents in favor of raising her two sons.  After the two boys reached their middle teens, she resumed her education, entering the University of Delaware to continue the development of her artistic talents, and in preparation for a career as an educator.  She graduated with a BA in Art History and Education.  She later earned a Masters degree in Education.

She began her career teaching third-grade at Warner Elementary School, a city school in Wilmington Delaware. She also taught fifth grade later on in her career.  She was dedicated to improving the lives of her inner city students, and she felt love for the many students for whom she had a positive impact.  She felt like she made a difference in the lives of many of these disadvantaged students, and this feeling helped keep her a dynamic force in the classroom.  She received many notes and gifts from her students, often, long after the student had left Warner Elementary.  Despite her success, after 15 years in the classroom, she began to think about a change, and when Ted retired in 1998 she decided to retire in 1999.

Nancy loved to travel, having lived in France with Ted, and having traveled with Ted to Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Thailand, France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Martins, Switzerland, Canada, Panama, Mexico, Albania, Hawaii and Albania.

One of her favorite vacation places was Saipan. This is not only because her son Matt was there, but also because of the great golf courses there.  She once made a shot on a spectacular Greg Norman golf course, a par three about 150 yards across a chasm above the Pacific Ocean. Nancy put the ball on the green with Tee shot. She didn’t always play this well but she did remember this shot in particular, and she loved playing.  She belonged to Dupont CC, Stone Harbor CC, Shadowood CC and she also loved to play other courses.  She also enjoyed her membership at the Stone Harbor Yacht Club.

Nancy loved music, particularly the Beatles and Motown and she also loved classical. In particular, she loved Pavarotti and went to New York City to hear him. 

Nancy also loved the seashore. She and Ted spent many a weekend at their beach house in Avalon with their children.  After her sons graduated from college and entered law school, Nancy and Ted made the  beach house their primary residence and spent summers there while spending the cold winter months at their house in Bonita Springs, Florida.  Grandchildren Amelia and Hayden arrived, and they too spent summers at the beach and enjoyed trips to Bonita Springs.

Nancy loved children, both in her professional life and at home.  At any family gathering or party, she could be found in the basement playing ping-pong or board games with all the children.  With 28 neices and nephews, this was no small feat. Nancy grew especially close to her grandchildren, and she and Ted spent countless hours playing Monopoly, Dominoes, Crazy-Eights and other games with them.

Nancy was a competitor, and whether it was golf, tennis, ping-pong, Bridge or Monopoly, she was in it to win it.  Ever gracious and a good sport, Nancy was also very quick with a verbal zinger which was always good for a laugh.  While playing any game, she enjoyed trading barbs and zingers with her competitors, and was usually the life of the party as well.

She passed away peacefully at home in February leaving her husband Ted, her sons Mark and Matthew and three brothers. Her funeral service will be 11am Friday, March 6th, at St. John Chrysostom Albanian Orthodox Church, 237 N.17th St. Phila., with a viewing one hour prior to the service in the church. A celebration of her life will be held at her house, 211 Aster Circle, Kennett Square, PA on Saturday, March 7 at 3 p.m.  In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.