January 10, 1930 – April 26, 2021
Nancy Cooney Kolb died of natural causes in her own bed in Atlantic Beach, Florida on April 26, 2021. She was 91 years old. Several of her children were at her side. We are grateful that she had such a long life, filled with many adventures and pleasures - including a 48 year marriage to her high school sweetheart, Ed Kolb.
Nancy was known for her gentle charm and sweet disposition, cornerstones of her personality which stayed with her throughout her life. Her understated but clever wit hinged on her great skill with words and continued to make us laugh till the end. Over her long life she maintained written correspondence with many friends and family, always seeing the best in us. She was very social, eager for each new day’s activities. Nancy was spontaneous and loved the sensory world of scent, birdsong, music and water.
She was born on January 10, 1930 in Buffalo, New York to Eunice Packard Cooney and Edwin Robert Cooney. She was joined by her brother Bob a couple years later. They went to Saint Mark’s parish grammar school near their home. Nancy went on to Saint Mary’s Seminary in Buffalo where she excelled in sports and was an ardent reader. She was active on the basketball team and as class president. She loved horseback riding, skiing and golf.
Nancy graduated from Cornell University, class of 1952, where she majored in English literature and played basketball. She loved poetry and was very fond of Shakespeare. She studied there with acclaimed writer Vladimir Nabokov.
In 1953 she married Edwin Richard Kolb, also of Buffalo, at Saint Marks Church, and they located in Cleveland, Ohio, where Ed was a graduate student at Case Western Reserve. Together they grew a family of six children, the first five in Cleveland, and the last in Florida. Nancy was gifted with children, always paying deep attention with kindness and encouragement. She and Ed created a home in the Cleveland area before moving to Chatham, New Jersey in 1971, and then to Melbourne, Florida in 1973. They also lived in the Nashua and Amherst, NH area, and in Elmira, NY. Ed and Nancy were devoted Catholics and very active in their parish church, wherever they lived.
The family became sailing enthusiasts in 1964 with the acquisition of a 14 foot wooden sailboat, which they intrepidly loaded with a crew of young children sporting orange life vests to sail on Lake Erie. One boat led to another, and one harbor led to another throughout their life. There are many stories of races, storms and mishaps, along with pleasant times that are fondly remembered and recounted by her family.
A natural athlete and always physically fit, Nancy was an avid tennis player into her 80’s. She is remembered for driving a riding lawn mower and doing hand to hand combat with poison ivy. She loved making a beautiful home and flower beds and tackled both goals with spirit and taste. In addition to caring for a large family and home, Nancy made the time to be a volunteer swim instructor for disabled children and recorded books for the blind. She was a terrific hostess, giving many fun parties. A bridge player throughout her life, Nancy conscripted her children to learn and play along, and she was always game for scrabble and crossword puzzles. She had a wonderful knowledge of words, and in later years she sometimes did the New York Times crossword with a granddaughter over the phone.
As her children grew and she had more time Mrs. Kolb worked outside the home, first in the art department at Elmira College, NY, and then for a realtor in NH.
Nancy and Ed retired to Indian Harbour Beach, Florida in 1995. After Ed’s death in 2001 Nancy relocated to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to be closer to two of her children. She has been a resident of Fleet Landing Senior Living Community since 2012, where she had many happy times with dear new friends.
She is survived by her brother Edwin Robert Cooney, Jr. “Bob”, her sister-in-law Sister Maryann Kolb SSJ, her children Kathleen Kolb (Paul Forlenza), Thomas Kolb (Ellen Galarneau Kolb), James Kolb (Jill Seth Kolb), Barbara Kolb Schuman (Michael Schuman), Christopher Kolb (Shannon O’Connor Kolb) and Paula Kolb Hemingway (Amos Hemingway). Her seventeen grandchildren are Anna Fisher Brodsky, Nathan Fisher, Matthew Kolb, Dominic Kolb, Monica Kolb, Teresa Kolb, Gregory Kolb, Melissa Picone, Bryan Kolb, Corey Kolb, John Schuman, Patrick Schuman, Joseph Schuman, Sean Kolb, Jonathan Kolb, Aiden Hemingway and Luna Hemingway. Her great-grandchildren so far are Eleanor Brodsky, Gray Buchanan, Zoe Buchanan, Jemesu Picone, Eyerusalem Picone, Evelyn Meek, Atticus Kolb and Jacob Schuman. She has numerous nephews and nieces.
She is predeceased by her husband Edwin Richard Kolb in 2001 and a stillborn child Charles Robert Kolb in 1969.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 o’clock on June 15, 2021 at St John the Baptist Catholic Church, 2400 Mayport Rd, Atlantic Beach. The service will be available via streaming for those unable to attend. Her remains will be buried in Maple Cemetery, Lincoln, Vermont June 26, 2021.
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