Nancy Orr Lewis Brown died at her home in Lexington, MA on May 13, 2026.

Nancy was born on November 3, 1930, and raised on a multi-generational farm in Southington CT. She never lost the farmer's resilience, work ethic, and deep love of the land.

Nancy married Charles E. Brown in 1950, and moved to Boston, MA. She received her BS from Simmons College in 1952. Chuck was in graduate school at Harvard, and the young couple lived on next-to-nothing. Nancy remembered stretching a pound of hamburger into a week's worth of meals.

Nancy taught at Newton High School for two years before leaving to raise her family. Her house was full of life; she made beautiful gardens and bountiful meals. She read aloud to her children every night.

The farm in Southington continued to be a central part of the family's life, and every summer they spent several cherished weeks in Brewster, MA.

Nancy returned to school, at the age of 40 and with four kids at home, to become a librarian.

She served as a librarian in Newton elementary schools, especially Underwood School, for 25 years. She loved her work, describing it as, "The best job I can imagine." She was admired and cherished by colleagues, children, and parents.

Nancy continued in that role after Chuck's death in 1979, and welcomed her children's spouses and her grandchildren into her life and home. The house where she had raised her children became the hub where the growing, boisterous family gathered for every holiday.

After retirement in 1997, Nancy added to her already numerous volunteer activities, including a horticultural therapy program, the Newton Free Library, the Rebecca Pomroy Foundation, and social action programs through the Second Church in Newton. She served on the Council on Aging, and for 22 years was treasurer of the Newton Senior Citizens Fund.

In 2018, Nancy moved to Brookhaven, in Lexington MA, to live with a long time friend, Thomas Sheridan.

Nancy leaves her children: Sarah, and her husband Steve; Doug, and his wife Deborah; Liz, and her husband Stefan; and Josh, and his wife Bernadette. She also leaves her partner Tom; her sister, Margaret Lewis; her beloved grandchildren, Julia, Ben, Travis, Eli, Jesse, Owen, Charlotte, Max, and Padget; and 3 great-grandchildren, Henry, Zoë, and Millie. She loved her grandson Will, who died in 2011.

There will be a private family service in Brewster, MA.

Donations in Nancy's memory may be made to the Environmental Defense Fund or your local library.