Mary Nancy Anderson Cabrera-Santos, 76, of Silver Spring, MD, died on March 13th, 2024 after suffering from Multiple Symptom Atrophy (MSA), a debilitating neurological illness with which she was diagnosed almost ten years ago.

Nancy was born on April 21st., 1947 to Col. Lawrence Anderson and Mary Danforth in Fort Belvoir, Va. After graduating from Stuttgart High School in Germany in 1965 she went on to earn a Bachelor’s in Science at Beloit College in Wisconsin. After graduating in 1969 she continued her studies at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a Master’s Degree in Health and Statistics. In 1972 she married Manuel Cabrera Santos, whom she had met while at Beloit. She subsequently moved to Ecuador with her husband, an Ecuadorian citizen who had attended Beloit on a scholarship.

They lived in Ecuador for five years where her two children, David and Christian were born. While in Ecuador she was instrumental in collaborating with her husband in developing a strong high school exchange program for the American Field Service International Scholarships organization. She also taught English at Quito Catholic University and was a guest English lecturer at Quito Central University. She enjoyed living in Ecuador as it afforded her experiencing life in a different culture. She loved her extended Ecuadorian family and everyone grew very fond of her as she was a very generous and loving person.

In 1977 she returned to the United States with her family to reside in Silver Spring, MD where they raised their two children. Nancy and her husband went to work for AT&T until 1998 when they both decided to retire early to follow more personal pursuits. In 2009 Nancy moved to Ocean View, DE with her ailing mother and took care of her until her death. In Ocean View she became involved in environmental issues and was extremely active with the Inland Bays Foundation, serving as President from 2015-2017. She cared deeply for the environment and dedicated time and effort to this worthwhile cause. Due to her illness she moved back to Silver Spring in 2019.

During her life she traveled extensively all over. Her work took her to places like Singapore and Bali, Geneva and Rome. And with her family she visited Europe and Ecuador often. The Galápagos was one of of her favorite places and she loved Spain as she spoke Spanish fluently. Her love of travel never declined and she went on a last vacation to Medellin, Colombia with her friends and caretakers Luis and Claudia Costas where she died, happy to have embarked on one last trip.

Nancy leaves two granddaughters, Mira and Eva, David’s and Amy’s girls and Sasha, Christian’s and Maria’s boy. Her grandchildren were the shining light of her last years and provided comfort during her long illness. Her family meant everything to her.

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