Nancy Ann Gere O'Neil, 93, a long-time resident of Syracuse, passed away peacefully in Chicago on March 10, 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. She was predeceased by her husband Vincent Arthur O’Neil, who died in 2008. Nancy was born in Syracuse on January 5, 1927, the youngest daughter of Robert Francis Gere and Mary Margaret (Mae) Osterhout Gere. Nancy is survived by her daughters Carol O’Neil and Elaine O’Neil (Andrew Won); two Grandchildren Olivia and Matthew Won; three nieces Nancy Goodwin (Thomas, deceased), Andrea Drozda, Catherine O’Neil, and three nephews Michael Powers (Ellen), Patrick Powers (Dawn), Michael O’Neil (Lisa); and a host of great-nieces and great-nephews. Her three older sisters and their husbands preceded her in death: Jane Gere Powers (Joseph), Mary Louise Gere Drozda (Andrew), and Roberta Gere Doering (James), along with her brother-in-law and his wife Robert O’Neil (Caroline). Nancy was also predeceased by her nieces Connie Powers Lister and Ellen O’Neil Henry.
In her youth, Nancy enjoyed school, sports, reading, Girl Scouts and writing/debate. She attended Syracuse public schools, graduating from Central High School in 1945. She was highly recommended as an exceptional student for college admission and graduated Cum Laude in 1949 from Syracuse University’s College of Human Development (then Home Economics). Nancy was a leader in student government, the Eta Pi Upsilon Women’s Honorary Society, and President of her sorority Theta Phi Alpha. She made lifelong friends in college and was active in a sorority alumni lunch group that gathered for many years at the former Hullar's restaurant in Fayetteville.
After graduation, Nancy taught Home Economics in Glen Falls, New York, and then returned to Syracuse where she started her career with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, as a Food and Nutrition Agent. In 1955, she married Vincent, the love of her life, and began raising their family. Nancy later returned to Cooperative Extension, where she worked for almost 25 years, retiring only to spare a co-worker’s position during a time of budget cuts. Nancy wrote a weekly menu column for the newspaper (a source of amusement for her daughter Elaine’s classmates when the paper was read in school) and taught countless community nutrition classes. Thanksgiving was always a busy time for Nancy as she fielded urgent questions on the Extension hotline about how best to cook a turkey! Nancy was also proud of her work with the EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education) program, helping families with limited resources choose healthy diets and improve their well-being.
Nancy was civic minded and believed in giving back to her community. She was a gracious listener and advocate for her fellow humans. While her efforts were less public than her husband’s work in public affairs, Nancy steadily worked to improve the quality of public schools, promote literacy, and advance voter education with the League of Women Voters. After retirement, Nancy volunteered for many years with The Learning Place to provide adult literacy services and as a reading tutor at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. She served as President of the Eta Pi Upsilon Alumnae Association. Each year they provided scholarships based on academic distinction and financial need to part-time women students seeking a Syracuse University education. Nancy was a lifelong Catholic and a communicant at St. Ann’s, St. Andrews, and All Saints Churches.
Nancy was always open to new ideas and experiences. She and Vince participated in a book club with dear friends who shared their diverse perspectives on life. She was an avid tennis player with a round robin group of friends, and later in life appreciated lower impact water aerobics at the Southwest Community Center. She was devoted to her friends and family. After she and Vince retired, they enjoyed many travels. They went on cruises (including two memorable Disney Cruises with their grandchildren), escaped Syracuse winters to warmer locales, traveled internationally, and took many family trips to visit their daughter’s family in California. Nancy and Vince enjoyed spending time with their extended families in places such as Cape Cod, New York City, the Adirondacks, and especially their family lake cottage near Lansdowne, Ontario.
In 2012, Nancy moved to the Nottingham Enriched Living apartments. There she greatly enjoyed a relaxed and active lifestyle, with loving support from her best friends’ daughter Maureen Murray. In 2015, she moved to Oak Park, Illinois, to live near her daughter Carol. While Nancy adapted well to her new surroundings, she never forgot her Syracuse roots. She always enjoyed conversation with the other residents, singing, and participating in activities as well as she could. Nancy’s kindness and appreciative nature shone through until her last breath.
A memorial mass will be held on Monday, October 10 at 10:00 a.m. at All Saints Church, 1340 Lancaster Avenue, Syracuse, followed by burial thereafter at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Donations in Nancy’s memory may be made to the Office of Advancement, Syracuse University, Eta Pi Upsilon Endowed Scholarship (attn: Jodie Ralston), 640 Skytop Road, 2nd Fl., Syracuse, NY 13244, or online at https://givetosu.syr.edu/NancyGONeil. To leave a special message for the family, please visit: www.Montclair-LucaniaFuneral.com
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