Nancy Palmer Grant

April 8, 1934 – March 21, 2026

"For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them."             (Ephesians 2:10)

Nancy exuded a living faith and shared generously with family, friends, and strangers alike. She was known for her "edible craft" of cooking hearty meals finished off with homemade pies.

She and her older sister grew up on Hilltop Road in Weston, Massachusetts, amid a throng of cousins—their father a lawyer so fair-minded that both sides of a dispute would seek his counsel, their mother pursuing programs to advance women's rights, racial equity, and ultimately elder housing. Graduating from Mt. Holyoke in 1956, her mother's alma mater, Nancy Palmer embodied these values—drawn toward children in underserved communities as a teacher in the 'open classroom' model.

Nancy and Bob Grant were married on March 22, 1960, his 27th birthday, in a Scottish chapel outside Edinburgh. Nancy flew from Boston on the new transatlantic jet service—wearing a pillbox hat and white gloves—to meet her husband-to-be at the close of his post-seminary year of study at the University of Edinburgh. Fifty years later, on their Golden Honeymoon, they returned to the same chapel and the same hotel room and lunched with the minister who had married them—now in his nineties. They still carried the message of his sermon about the three phases of marriage: love each other oblivious to flaws, despite flaws, then flaws and all. Over forty years of United Methodist pastoral life, Bob accepted a succession of appointments in the Greater New Jersey area—each a decision he and Nancy shared—moving frequently as the bishop directed. Urban ministry in Paterson during the 1970s placed their family at a place of concentrated need, where Nancy continued her teaching vocation in new communities until health challenges intervened.

Nancy was a free spirit. Their children quipped that in church, Dad sang the notes as written and Mom sang those notes, and all the ones in between.

Dogs and cats were always part of Nancy's life, but so was a wide assortment of winged, scaled, and furry beings. From the goats her parents allowed her to raise as a girl to the singing finches and canaries she bred whose songs were the backing track for her family's parsonage life, animals and plants were fellow creatures—companions in mutual care.

She relished August as the month of family vacation, full of adventures: biking, canoeing, and sailing. The purchase of a rustic A-frame in Boothbay, Maine, funded by an inheritance from her parents, became a summer sanctuary, with a wood cooking stove at the heart. Grandchildren were an immense joy, often baking or going around to garage sales with their Nanny when she'd say, "You wanna go "saling" ?

Starting in 1997, Nancy and Bob enjoyed a full retirement together in Haydenville, Massachusetts. Over two decades, they explored the region; hiking—often with dear ones—was a favorite activity. An outdoor birder from childhood, Nancy would pause to listen, with a fine-tuned ear for each wild song. She lived a colorful life and sought to reflect the light, much like her husband's transparent watercolors.

Following Bob's death in 2017, Nancy aged in place, lovingly supported by family, longtime friends, prayer partners, and helpful neighbors. Even in her final years, punning was a daily delight. She passed away peacefully at home in her sleep in the early morning of the first day of Spring.

Nancy is survived by her three children, Bob, Andrew, and Anita, and their families. All of her relations—human and more-than-human—were blessed by her abiding faith, her wisdom, her humor, and her joy, which she believed would only grow more complete.

A service in Celebration of Nancy's life will be held by Pastor Steve Behlke of Grace United Church at the Northampton Elks Lodge at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, April 4, 2026. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be given to Grace United (graceunited.church) or a charity of your choice.