Nancy Tiernan (Simpson) Graves, age 94, passed away peacefully on April 24, in Marblehead with family by her side.
Nancy was the wife of the late Robert G. Graves and together they raised their family of 10 children. She was the mother of the late Carol Graves Faulkner of Attleboro who predeceased her by less than three months.
Nancy is survived by her children Barbara Graves and husband Kenneth Beaulieu of Marblehead; Thomas Soma Graves and wife Vijaya of Alachua, Florida; Paul Graves of Sun City, Florida; Gerald Graves of Marblehead; Arthur Graves of Marblehead; Maureen Graves Anderson and her husband David of Waterboro, Maine; Therese Graves Burgos and her husband William of Billerica; Emily Graves and her husband Christopher Gueli of Keene, New Hampshire; and Philip Graves of Lynn. She will be missed by her 16 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She leaves her brother Robert Simpson of Queensbury, New York.
Nancy was born in Albany, New York, to the late George and Lillian Tiernan Simpson. She was a graduate of Vincentian Institute and the College of Saint Rose, Albany, where she received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1951, a time when women rarely studied the sciences. She also attended Salem State University.
Nancy taught chemistry for 16 years at Marblehead High School and sixth-grade science for four years at Marblehead Middle School. After retiring from teaching, she worked in the King Hooper Mansion for the Marblehead Arts Association. Nancy was a devoted communicant and Eucharistic minister at Star of the Sea Church. She volunteered at the Marblehead Food Pantry, Lighthouse Thrift Shop, Marblehead Historical Commission, Dollars for Scholars, March of Dimes and Friends of the Council of Aging. Nancy was a longtime member of The Arrangers of Marblehead Garden Club and NEACT, the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers, emeritus.
After raising her children, Nancy enjoyed traveling the world and visited many cities in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia and Scandinavia. She rode a train across Canada, passed through the Panama Canal and cruised the Danube River and Hawaiian Islands. Nancy especially loved swimming at Grace Oliver Beach.
Visiting hours for Nancy will be held Thursday, May 2, 3-7 p.m. at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm St. Her funeral Mass will be held on Friday, May 3, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, 85 Atlantic Ave, Marblehead. Burial will follow at Waterside Cemetery, Marblehead.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Nancy’s honor can be made to the Robert and Nancy Graves Memorial Scholarship awarded to students studying engineering or science, in care of Marblehead Dollars for Scholars, PO Box 4, Marblehead, MA 01945. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at eustisandcornellfuneralhome.com for Nancy’s family.
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