Nancy Baumgardner

1935 - 2025

BAUMGARDNER, Nancy

Nancy Gay Glennon Baumgardner passed away peacefully on January 27, 2025 to her eternal home. She was 2 weeks from celebrating her 90th birthday.

Nancy was born on February 11, 1935 in Jamaica Plain Boston, MA to parents Frank and Louise Glennon. Nancy and her sister, Caroline grew up in Boston sharing their home with other relatives, and as a child she loved baking. Nancy was also an avid Boston Red Sox fan and attended games at Fenway Park. After her high school graduation Nancy attended Bates College in Maine and received a B.A. in Psychology. She was then accepted at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA and gained her Master of Education degree in 1957. Nancy then started her teaching career with 4th graders in the Winchester, MA district.

Nancy met her future husband Walker Baumgardner on Memorial Day weekend 1958 and they dated while he was stationed at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod. They married on September 13, 1959 and Nancy made her wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, and her wedding cake as well.

Nancy and Walker were expecting their first child while he was in Korea for overseas duty, and during this time Nancy moved south to Tennille, GA with her in-laws. Melody was born in 1960 and Walker finally returned home from duty to meet his then 6-month-old daughter.

The Baumgardner family moved to Spartanburg, SC in 1963 as Walker was employed by Milliken & Company. The next few years welcomed son's David and Elliott into their growing family. In 1967 the Baumgardner family moved to Tucker, GA and there Nancy and Walker raised their (3) children and established roots in the local Dekalb County area.

The Baumgardner family attended Jackson Hill Baptist Church in Decatur, GA and then joined First Baptist Church of Atlanta in 1976, where Nancy was involved as a ministry counselor, Sunday school teacher, and choir member. Her love for people and desire to understand varied backgrounds established Nancy as a wonderful Christian mentor advocate for all.

Nancy combined her passion for baking with an entrepreneurial acumen and in 1981 started a small business selling pound cakes. By 1983 Nancy was selling well over a 1,000 cakes per year from her home in Tucker, GA. She started with 2 local shops that eventually grew to 7 retail stores and Nancy's Pound Cakes became well known throughout NE Atlanta. She was known as "The Cake Lady" and did finally reveal her secret ingredient was a bourbon vanilla sourced from out of state. Nancy also was a reading & math tutor and even sold residential real estate for a few years.

In 1991 Nancy and Walker relocated to Lake Lanier in Gainesville, GA and enjoyed 27 years of peaceful waterfront living. Nancy joined the Colonel William Candler Chapter of the DAR in 1998 and immersed herself in the research and ancestral family history associated with the Revolutionary War. Nancy took the role of Membership Registrar in 2006 and personally assisted 161 members with their DAR applications. In 2023 Nancy was awarded the Lantern Chapter pin for exemplary service and in 2024 was recognized with the Women in American History medal for significant contributions to her community. Other organization memberships include Colonial Dames XVII Century, Colonial Dames of America, Southern Dames of America, the Jamaica Plain Historical Society, and Westwood Massachusetts Historical Society.

Nancy and Walker spent their last few years living at Lanier Village Estates, and she made many new friends in this wonderful retirement environment. Nancy is survived by her daughter, Melody (Leonard); sons, David (Cindy) and Elliott (Amanda); and her grandchildren: Jacob and Sarah Beth Juneau; Sophie, Audrey, and Natalie Baumgardner; Beatrice and Vincent Baumgardner.

A Celebration of Life service for Nancy will take place on February 22 at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel at Lanier Village Estates. In lieu of flowers a memorial gift donation can be made to Eagle Ranch at https://www.eagleranch.org/memorial-gift.