Annunziata "Nancy" (Cotticelli) Hurst

In lieu of flowers, Nancy asked that you consider making a donation to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Annunziata "Nancy" (Cotticelli) Hurst passed away on January 11, 2020 with her daughter Francesca by her side. Nancy was born July 18, 1937 in Salerno, Italy. She had 3 younger siblings, Silvana, Pippo, and Caterina. Her father Mario was killed during the war when she was only 6 years old, and her mother, Tina, kept the family going, and thriving, through many difficult times during and after the war. Nancy went to school with the nuns growing up in Italy, and took piano lessons as a child. Until just recently, she could still sit down at the piano and play the pieces she remembered learning with her teacher from those early lessons! At the age of 19, she decided to move to Paris to study French, thinking she might be an interpreter one day. She had a gift for languages. Her mother was a modern woman and allowed her to go, which was unusual for a girl (from southern Italy) in 1956. She worked as an au pair and took French. While in Paris, she met Jim Stolt, an American navy man, who was stationed there. They got married in Salerno, and went on to live in Paris, London, and Naples, and Jacksonville, Norfolk, and Washington, DC. Nancy's first trip to the US included a trip to Minnesota, Jim's home state, in winter. She had never seen snow before, and the drifts were so high you couldn't see the cars coming around the corner. She stayed in the house that entire trip. She hated the snow, but she loved her in-laws, and they loved her too, and they stayed in touch for the rest of her life. Nancy had a different shock waiting for her when they moved to Jacksonville from Paris. Snakes, bugs, no pasta and terrible white bread all tortured her, and she was taken aback by segregation, which she didn't understand. It was a rough time. She was learning English at this time too, and always credited "I Love Lucy" for teaching her. After being stationed back in the DC area in the ‘70s, Nancy began taking flamenco lessons, and used to give impromptu performances at her house. She also played the guitar, read tarot cards, and loved going to the ballet. She and Jim divorced, and Nancy moved to Foggy Bottom, where she opened The Chocolate Box with Carlo Maggi in the Watergate, the first shop in Washington that sold Godiva chocolate. After The Chocolate Box closed, she opened Marble Décor, another shop in the Watergate, and also a perfume shop with her friend Janet, in the Crystal City underground, in 1976. During that time she met Bill Hurst and they were married in 1978. Nancy always wanted a big family with several children, but was blessed with just one. Her daughter Francesca was born and fulfilled Nancy’s greatest wish. From that moment on, Nancy dedicated her life to Francesca and did everything she could to be the best mom she could be. The shops closed, and Nancy went on to work for the Watergate Hotel with her friend John, eventually becoming the assistant director of catering. She loved working there because she enjoyed meeting so many different people. After the Watergate, she moved on to the Embassy Row Hotel where she was the director of catering. She always had a flair for parties, decorating, and presentation, and loved to host friends for dinner. She was an excellent cook and an even better baker, and was known in Washington among her friends for making the best pastiera. After making the decision to leave the catering business, Nancy went to work for private Italian companies in Washington, including IRI and Finmeccanica. She was loved by her coworkers, and developed special friendships that lasted the next 20+ years. Many of them became like family, and they stayed close even after she retired. Nancy chose to spend her retirement half in Italy and half in the US, enjoying amazing summers at the beach in Italy, and coming home to DC during the year to be near her daughter. We remember Nancy for her smile, her grace, her sweet disposition, her patience, her wisdom, her style, and her goodness. Funeral services will be held Monday, January 20, 2020 at 10:30 AM at Holy Rosary Church, 595 3rd St. NW, Washington, DC, 20001. Following the funeral service will be a committal service at 1:00 PM at Fairfax Memorial Park, 9900 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032.