Obituary of Nancy E. Penfold

Nancy was born on December 18, 1933 in East Orange, New Jersey.  She was the younger of two girls born to George Wallace Doherty, a Presbyterian minister and Mildred Hillis Butler, an elementary school educator.  Her older sister, Jane died in 1988.  As a child she was raised in many states throughout the south and ultimately landed in Troy, NY where she graduated from Lansingburgh High School.  She attended Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, majoring in elementary education and music, where she met Robert C. Wilkanowski, an architecture student at nearby North Carolina State College.

Nancy’s teaching career began in Glens Falls, NY.  In 1956 she married Robert and they started their life together in Huntington, Long Island.  Nancy took a hiatus from her teaching career to raise 4 children, Kim, Lynn, Susan and Robert through their elementary school years.   They bought their first and only home in East Northport, NY, expanding and modernizing the house in order to accommodate their growing family. Nancy resumed her teaching career first in Northport School District, then at Flower Hill Elementary School in Huntington where she spent the remainder of her career until she retired.

During that time, she suffered the unexpected loss of her first husband, Robert (Bob) when he was just 37 years old.  Years later she met Anthony M. Penfold and they married in 1975.  They built a full life together with blended families.  Together they enjoyed dancing and making our house a home where all our friends were welcome.  In retirement they enjoyed traveling, cooking for friends and family, and being snowbirds, spending the winter months at their condo in Ft. Lauderdale.

Throughout her life, Nancy enjoyed many creative outlets.  She played the piano and was a church organist in Greenlawn and at First Presbyterian Church in Northport for a brief period of time.  She was a gifted seamstress and created many needlepoint designs.  She pursued a degree in interior design after she retired and enjoyed creating beautiful spaces.

Nancy was a resilient and independent soul.  Her warmth and kindness were appreciated by those who knew her. She was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Tony lovingly cared for her for a decade at home, and for the 5 years she lived in an assisted living facility, he was her constant companion and cheerleader.  She passed away at 85 years of age on March 17, 2019.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Tony, her children, Kim (Ken), Lynn, Susan, Robert (Suzanne), 6 grandchildren Amy, Billy, Sarah, Joseph, Kimberly (Chris) and Kristina (Morgan)and 3 great grandchildren.  Condolences may be sent to Anthony Penfold 5300 NE 24^th Terrace #229C, Ft. Lauderdale Fla 33308.

Donations can be made in Nancy’s name to Alzheimer’s Association a www.alz.org