Nancy Kathleen Berezin, age 76, died June 21 surrounded by her family.  She leaves her husband Robert A Berezin, her children Joshua Berezin, Gabriel Berezin, and Lily Berezin and her dog Theodore Berezin. She also leaves grandchildren Brady, Connor and Violet with a grandchild due in July.  As a landscape and interior designer with a reverence for nature, Nancy made everything beautiful - from her own vibrant garden to countless landscapes of clients, friends, and family. Several of her memorable designs were featured in Home and Garden magazine. She never retired and was still working on projects until her passing.

When she and Bobby moved to Lexington in 1974, she loved the big red house on the corner; an early site for filming Julia Childs' first cooking show. A fabulous cook, she was famous for her spaghetti sauce and her delicious Christmas cookies among many other culinary delights. She threw superb parties, especially the beloved "Cookie Party," a now decades-long tradition in the Fern Street neighborhood. Only the current hosts will ever know her secret champagne punch recipe.

An avid music lover, she could name any piece of music and identify the composer - from Bach to Queen. She always knew what museum exhibit to see from the Clark in Massachusetts to the Frick in New York City. She was constantly discovering fun new things for her family to do. She took her kids to Cirque du Soleil before anyone knew about it.

Her house was like a comfy museum, a canvas for her varied tastes - from John Singer Seargent prints to her wonderful Mayamis. She had a keen eye for antiques and her guests were often seen admiring and inquiring about the various pieces on the shelves and walls, and her grand Christmas trees.

Her book shelves were filled with her favorite authors like John Irving, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Billy Collins, endless biographies, art history books, and maybe a few Agatha Christie novels. She loved Betty Davis and Carey Grant movies and watched It's a Wonderful Life and Scrooged every Christmas. And she wasn't above the occasional reality TV show like Project Runway.

She had a long list of animal companions that she loved as fervently as her human family - her dogs Sasha, Zoey, Michaela and Teddy and her cats Kitty, Buddha, Gracie, Sophie, Oedi-puss Vedder the 1st (aka "Eddie") and Oedi-puss Vedder the 2nd (also "Eddie").

She was part of a community that spent every summer in Mount Desert Island, Maine for over 40 years where swimming, hot dog parties, steamed lobster and blueberry pie was an absolute must for her family and Echo Lake friends. Time spent in oceanside restaurants, lakes and the protected terrain of Acadia National Park fulfilled her. It is holy ground for her family who will continue these traditions.

Nancy was happiest with people in her living room, the classical music radio station on, having hours-long conversations with friends and family, telling stories, sharing ideas, and cracking jokes. No topic was off limits and she wasn't shy with her perspective. Her laughter made everyone laugh. Her interest was always focused on the lives and concerns of everyone else - above herself. This made her a mother to all, even her contemporaries.

There will be a private service for Nancy's friends and family at the Berezin home at 2pm in Lexington on July 7th.

The family appreciates all the love, cards and flowers sent to the Berezin residence; no gifts or donations please.