(1951-2019)
Nancy Charn Manafort passed away peacefully on March 18, 2019, surrounded by family and supported by compassionate caregivers at her home in West Hartford.
Born on October 29, 1951 in Evanston, Illinois, Nancy spent her early childhood on the North Shore of Chicago, Illinois and then moved to Wilton, Connecticut where she attended school for her remaining elementary through high school years. She enjoyed many years of continued connections with her Wilton friends throughout her life. After graduating from Colby Junior College in New London, NH (now Colby Sawyer), she earned her BA in Fine Arts from Albion College in Albion, MI. Her artistic talents were put to good use in her career in public relations and advertising, at firms in both Florida and Connecticut.
Nancy would be the first to describe the happiest years of her life to be the time when she married James Manafort Sr and became the stepmom to his wonderful kids and eventually grandkids. At family dinners, Christmas mornings, celebrations of every kind, Nancy reveled in the joys of family. At the Connecticut Shore, Nancy and Jim loved doling out hot dogs to the crowd with special juicy-pops for the little ones. She spent many hours searching for just the right present for each member of the family for Christmas, birthdays, christenings, and weddings.
Nancy got the family golfer gene from her dad, a scratch golfer and club champion in Illinois. A long time member of the Country Club of Farmington, she spent many of her retirement years at Black Diamond in Lecanto, Florida where her great joy was to win the club championship one year. She played in many competitive tournaments, as well as supporting multiple charities by playing in their golf outings, and even creating the James Manafort Tournament, an annual event in the Hartford area.
Philanthropy was central to Nancy’s life in her later years, as she served on the board of the Black Diamond Foundation, My Sisters Place, and volunteered countless hours for the St Francis Foundation, the MS Foundation, and the Petit Family Foundation. She loved helping to put together a gala event to raise funds for causes very close to her heart.
Nancy adored her niece Amelia, and spent many happy hours with her. A special memory that Nancy treasured was hosting a brunch cruise on the river after Amelia’s wedding to Shams Eugene Monteiro in 2008.
A member of MENSA for many years, Nancy was in high demand for any trivia game. She could finish the NY Times crossword in quick fashion, and solve challenging Sudoku puzzles with ease.
Nancy is survived by her late husband’s family: Virginia O’Connor (Michael) of Berlin, James Manafort Jr. (Jolyn) of Farmington, Lynne Romano (Salvatore) of Southington, David Manafort (Randi) of Berlin, Joy Anello (David Iser) of Farmington, Lindsay Griffin (Shawn) of SC, and Shawn Manafort of Newington; grandchildren Elizabeth Rosado (Lucas) and Andrew O'Connor, Nicholas (Katy), Gene, Sandra, Madelyn and James Manafort, Salvatore, Vincent, and Maryssa Romano, David, Joseph, and Anthony Manafort, Alyssa Anello, Julianna and Frankie Griffin; and five great grandchildren.
She is also survived by her siblings Leslie Rennie-Hill (Kenton Hill) of Portland, OR, Gary Hawk (Joyce) of Missoula, MT, Jeff Hawk (Shere) of Woodinville, WA, Stacy Remke of Minneapolis, MN, Sara Remke and Andy Remke of St Paul, MN, and Priscilla Remke of Albuquerque, NM; niece Amelia Monteiro (Shams) of Oakland, CA; aunt Janet Wilson of Walpole, NH; and cousins Scott Wilson (Deanna) of Grantham, NH and Rennie Washburn (David) of West Chesterfield, NH.
She was preceded in death by her husband James Manafort Sr, mother Joyce Charn Hawk, father John Remke, stepfather Wayne Hawk, and half-brother John Remke Jr.
The family sends sincere thanks to the staff at Brookdale Chatfield Senior Living, especially Keisha, and to Jacquie Robinson and the caregivers of Nurses Next Door and Masonicare Hospice.
A memorial service will be held at the Church of St. Patrick, 110 Main Street, Farmington, CT on March 30, 2019 at 1 pm. The New Britain Memorial-Donald D. Sagarino Funeral Home 444 Farmington Ave. New Britain is in charge of the arrangements. For online condolences please visit newbritainsagarino.com In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a gift to the Saint Francis Hospital Foundation, 95 Woodland Street – 2nd Floor, Hartford, CT 06105, or online at Donation.
