May God bless you and your...
To all the Stiles family, I am very saddened to learn of this. Nancy was a wonderful woman who made me feel like family while I was there.
Dawn Phillips-Gehling
April 15, 2013 | State Center, IA


Photo courtesy of Murphy Funeral Home - Salem
Aug 13, 1927 - Oct 23, 2012
To all the Stiles family, I am very saddened to learn of this. Nancy was a wonderful woman who made me feel like family while I was there.
Dawn Phillips-Gehling
April 15, 2013 | State Center, IA
sorry to hear of Nancy's passing ... may memories of good times comfort her family and friends ... will always picture her when I think of my time at St. Andrews ...
Carol Lovejoy
April 01, 2013 | Tarpon Springs, FL
Dear Katherine,
Deb told me of your mom's passing. I hope that you had time to midwife her into her transistioin and that all the many memories of precious days with her will sustain you. May the promise of New Life as we celebrate it this Easter be especially comforting and sustaining for you.
Shalom, Barb Davis ( SA pilgrim)
Barbara Davis
March 30, 2013 | Columbus, OH
Dearest Katherine,
I just happened to google your name this morning (checking if you are still at Harvard) and so learned of your mother's passing. I guess the spirit was nudging, because you have been on my mind. Sending prayers of comfort and love to you, friend...and prayers of gratitude for the promise of Easter in your mom's journey. I will be in touch soon.
Blessings,
Deborah
Deborah Lindsay
March 30, 2013 | Columbus, OH
All of us at Cottage Connection were sad to learn of Nancy's passing. You have our heartfelt sympathy and prayers. She was such a warm and caring person - a ray of sunshine.
March 28, 2013
Dear Susan
My thoughts are with you at this time, may you be surrounded by friends and family at this time of loss. Your Mom fought a courageous battle. Susan Finigan.
March 26, 2013
Dear Julie, So very sorry to hear of the passing of your mother. May God Bless you and your family during this difficult time.
Donna Micale
March 26, 2013 | MA
I've loved my cousin Nancy since we were children, and always will. Although distance keeps me from being there, please know that I share your grief and will hold you all in my prayers. Love, Anita
March 26, 2013

I send my sympathy to the Stiles Family ~ I knew Nancy well in our sewing club & espically when I took my family in the Peabody Essex M. Her smile was bigger then Life. She told me of the other things that she did in Life of Special Needs Children, as my Autistic son Michael was with me, & I was helping her with Sign Language for communication ~ For whenever I brought Michael in she would always give him a treat & I would tell Nancy ~ GOD has a place for you right with his Angels ~ We shall...
Alicemarie Lesch
March 26, 2013 | Salem, MA
Nancy Atwood Stiles, daughter of Helen Knight Atwood and Byron Trafton Atwood passed away peacefully early in the morning, Saturday, October 23 after a valiant battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family and her devoted husband of 64 years, William Stiles.Mrs. Stiles was born and raised in Salem and Boxford MA. She attended the Brimmer and May school and graduated from Smith College in 1948. She married her husband William later that same year and then moved to Silver Spring, MD., where she taught at the Washington Cathedral School. They lived in Silver Spring for 2 years before moving back to Marblehead where they have lived ever since. Mrs. Stiles loved traveling with her husband and dear Marblehead friends. She was a lifelong member of the Salem Sewing Circle and an active community volunteer at Peabody Essex Museum and the House of Seven Gables where she was the first woman to become President of the Board. She also served on the board of trustees at the Riverview School, in Sandwich, MA, the Pingree School, in South Hamilton, MA, and Anchor to Windward , a local nonprofit organization which the Stiles founded together to support learning disabled adults. Her grandchildren knew Mrs. Stiles as 'Dede' and speak of her as jubilant and a loving force that has guided and supported their every endeavor. She was a tireless sports fan and advocate for them, attending plays, music performances, lacrosse and field hockey games, rowing races, and many many birthday parties for them through the years. She loved her home and the town where she lived, and she frequently was heard commenting on her extraordinary neighbors and their kindness to her and her family during her illness. When she was not in Marblehead, in her garden, on her family's sailboat, Windswept, in Marblehead Harbor, she was in Southport, Maine, at her family's cottage where she spent the summers of her life.Mrs. Stiles leaves her husband, William, and their four daughters, Julie, Katherine, Susan and Sarah, her son-in-law Michael, and her grandchildren, Hannah and her husband Noah, William and his wife Kristin, Maya and her husband Alan, Hayley and Sumner, all of whom cherished her. She was predeceased by her grandson William Shippen Bright. Along with her siblings Byron, Jane, and Betsy and their spouses, she leaves several nieces and nephews and many, many friends. A memorial service will take place at the Stiles' church, Church of Saint Andrew (Episcopal) in Marblehead 135 Lafayette St on Wednesday, March 27 at 3:00. Reception to follow. For any who wish, memorial contributionsmay be made to St. Andrew's Church 135 Lafayette St, Marblehead, MA, 01945 or to All Saints by the the Sea Church, P.O Box 377, Southport, ME 04576. For online guest book or additional information, please contact the Murphy Funeral ome, 85 Federal ST, Salem, MA 01970, tel 781 631 8885, or visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com.
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