We lost our dear sister, friend, bonus-mother and grandmother, Nancy Gifford, far too soon, on the afternoon of July 3, 2024. She was hospitalized in a state of septic shock, following a rare illness, and though surrounded and supported by family and friends, her body was unable to recover. The Nancy we knew and loved, however, would not have wanted us to dwell on her passing, but on her life.

Nancy Jean Gifford was born on March 23rd, 1951 in Salem, Massachusetts, to John Fergus Gifford and Charlotte Dodge Gifford. In her early childhood they lived in Lynn and Saugus, MA, and in 1961 the family moved to Randallstown, Maryland.

Nancy graduated from Milford Mill High School in 1968 and received her BA degree in Education from the University of Maryland in 1972.

After graduation, she settled in Washington, DC, and among her early jobs she was a lineman with Bell Atlantic Telephone. At one point Nancy owned a house with Tobey, a dear friend, which featured a red sports car in the living room. Nancy joined Merkle in 1986 and remained with the company until her retirement in 2018. She loved her job and the opportunities the company gave her. Merkle was an innovative and fast-growing company and Nancy was a Project Manager for years working with Dell Computer, another dynamic young company. She loved the challenge and always looked forward to her frequent business trips to work with the Dell team in Austin. Other accounts brought her to London and, most notably, an assignment in Shanghai, China, for 6 months to open an office there. She mentored a beautiful group of young people who she stayed in touch with after returning to the US.

She was a full-fledged member of the Eichner family, a second mother to Daniel, Judith, and Miles, and a beloved grandmother to June, Ramona, Louise, and Isabel. Nancy could be counted on to create chaos – especially at bedtime – chasing children around the house and stirring up fits of giggles. Nancy was always ready to babysit and go on adventures, scour the toy store for perfectly delightful surprises, give presents covered in stickers and hand-drawn smiley faces, and remind everyone they were turning the “perfect age.”

“Membership” in the Eichner family also meant Nan was a beloved member of a wonderful extended family of Silbermans, Gravitzes, Tuvins, and Sandels: the Sunday Night Crew. Which meant she could rile up even more kids before bedtime. More seriously, like any good family member, Nancy was always there for all of us. She became a confidante, mentor, and second mom to Julia Tuvin, whose own amazing mother, Marla, passed away too young. Nancy’s heart was full of people and we all benefited from that love.

Nancy loved to travel, and visited places all around the world with the Eichner clan, with her friend the late Ester Fisher and with Roberta. From going home to be with family for the holidays, to the Galapagos, to Italy, to her very special happy place in Botswana,she always seemed most content at the beach with the Eichner-Feldberg clans, surrounded by several generations of loving friends.

Nancy had many interests including bird watching, flowers and plants, daily walks, learning to play the piano, and volunteering at the Smithsonian. But more than these, she loved and was devoted to her family and friends. She had a rare talent to engage and befriend people, in casual encounters and deep, long-lasting and meaningful friendships. She was a beloved part of many families and wouldn't miss an event, often arriving, gift in hand, or with her famous cold sesame udon noodles (with mushrooms, of course!)

The throughline here – the thing that made all this possible – was Nancy’s amazingly joyful love of life. You just wanted to be part of it. Her enthusiasm for her friends, for her family, and for her work. No one ever loved life like Nancy. It was a beautiful thing to see and to experience, and we will miss it and her.

She is survived by her sister Susan Conrad (John), nephew John Kenneth Conrad, several cousins, and everyone in her DC extended family.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/nancy-gifford/obituary/

Copy