Nancy Ann Richards

It is with deep sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Nancy Ann (Frank) Richards on July 25, 2026 at the age of 88. Nancy was predeceased by her parents Wilfred Frank and Ernestine (Crosby) Frank, her brother David, and the love of her life Capt.(N) Ronald Richards.

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Lorraine Dunn (James), Stephen Richards (Larissa), and Angela MacIsaac (Glenn), grandchildren Christine (Jeremy), Wendy, Alyse, Leah, Graham, great grandchildren, Hannah and Wesley, step-grandchildren Christian (Delyse), Armin (Marie) and their children. Nancy will also be dearly missed by her surviving brothers and their spouses, Lawrence and Susan, Eric and Margaret, and Blye and Jim, along with many nieces, nephews, extended family members and treasured friends.

Born December 3, 1937 on the family farm in Wentworth Creek, Nova Scotia, Nancy proudly carried her East Coast roots with her wherever she traveled. She left home after graduating from Windsor Academy and trained at the Halifax Infirmary as a Registered Medical Laboratory Technologist. On April 29,1961 she married Ron, and they shared a wonderful life raising children and traveling from one coast to the other. Although they moved frequently with Ron’s military career, Nancy ensured that their children grew up with a strong sense of family. Holidays and summers were spent at Nancy’s family farm in Nova Scotia, or skiing and sailing with family and friends in British Columbia. Fond memories were also made with Ron’s sister and family at their cottage in Ontario. After the children left home, Nancy and Ron’s greatest adventure was living inTokyo, Japan at the end of Ron’s career. Nancy was in her element both hosting and attending diplomatic events.

Nancy and Ron enjoyed a fulfilling retirement, living in Ottawa and travelling the world. Together, they were founding members of the Ottawa chapter of the World Friendship Force, through which they forged many treasured friendships. Ron frequently marvelled at how Nancy could find fellow Nova Scotians in the most unexpected places. These years afforded Nancy time to enjoy quilting and practice her golf game. She also loved to host dinner parties and share her legendary culinary creations.

Aside from family and travel, Nancy’s greatest passion was genealogy. Nancy grew up surrounded by family, frequently hearing stories about English and Scottish ancestors on her mother’s side, as well as the French and German settlers of Lunenburg on her father’s side. When Nancy moved back to Nova Scotia, after many years away, she enrolled in an Atlantic Studies course at Saint Mary’s University. This was the beginning of her genealogy research. Exploring her past led to her visiting churches and grave sites of long ago ancestors, traveling to Europe and Great Britain and finding unknown distant cousins. Nancy not only leaves behind a tremendous amount of research but the knowledge that our ancestors live on in each of us.

In Nancy’s later years, she faced the challenge of a difficult diagnosis with the grace and strength that she had always been known for. Our family is profoundly grateful to the caregivers and medical staff who supported Nancy with unwavering kindness and care this past year. We feel tremendously blessed to be her children and to have grown up with the love of such a remarkable woman. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Parkinson Canada.

A Celebration of Life Visitation and Reception to be held at J. A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax on September 19, 2026 from 2-4pm.