Nancy Crockett Rhodes, born on June 19, 1936 in Beverly, MA, passed away on June 3. Predeceased by her adoring husband Doug, she leaves behind her three children Timothy (Karyn), Benjamin (Christine) and Susanna (Curt) Beckwith. She is also mourned by her grandchildren: Brittany, Katie and Emily, Samantha and Holden, and Isabelle, Lila and Posey--and her great granddaughter Isla.
The eldest of three girls, Nancy was raised in the bucolic, small town of Wenham on the North Shore of Boston where she cantered bareback and side saddle through meadows and played in the forests and ponds that surrounded her childhood home, Elmwood Farm. She attended Beverly High School and then Smith College where she met Doug, an Amherst College football player, on a blind date arranged by lifelong best friends, Sukey and Irv Grousbeck.
When Nancy and Doug settled in Providence, RI soon after the birth of their second child, she dove headfirst into community engagement by working with Lippitt Hill Tutorial (now Inspiring Minds), Family Service of RI and the Junior League, holding numerous leadership roles and making wonderful friends. In her spare time, she campaigned for national and statewide candidates with whom she was politically aligned.
In the late 1970’s, Nancy re-entered the workforce to serve as an Associate Director of Admissions at Brown University, then Educational Policy Aide to the Governor of RI and finally Executive Director of Campus Compact. She also received a Master’s Degree and completed coursework for a PhD in Education from Harvard University.
Summers were sacred to Nancy. She miraculously negotiated weeks off in the summer to sail, play tennis and roll around on the sandy beaches of her beloved Chatham. She loved nothing more than boating and birding with friends and gathering her family in the living room for a lively cocktail hour and late dinner.
After retirement, Nancy joined the State Board of Common Cause in 1997 and served until 2017. Among other roles she served as president of the State Board, as well as treasurer of the National Governing Board. In 2017 she received the Distinguished Service Award and was appointed to the state Advisory Council. She played critical roles during the fight for separation of powers in Rhode Island, and worked hard to raise financial resources for the organization.
A beautiful and prolific writer, Nancy was always busy drafting remarks to deliver before the RI House Judiciary or Finance committee, at a wedding or funeral, and even at her own birthday party (she also loved an audience!). She was an empathic listener too, and magically extracted the life stories of everyone she came in contact with.
Nancy was a renaissance woman well before it was en vogue. Irreverent, whip smart and principled, she never shied away from a debate–at a dinner table or in the marble halls of the State House–and usually won. Her energy for discourse was boundless and topics ranged from politics, the arts, literature, higher education and healthcare to birds, beaches and waterways. You could always count on Nancy to share her words of wisdom!
Nonnie/Nancy/Mom will be missed by all who loved her. A service is scheduled for 11am on June 27, 2023 at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Common Cause RI.
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