Lucy Breed

1944 - 2017

NANTUCKET, Mass. – Lucy Fowlkes Breed of Nantucket, Mass. died peacefully Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, at Massachusetts General Hospital with her sons by her side, following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. She was 73 years old.

Loved and respected by all who knew her, she remained optimistic and enthusiastic about life, her family, friends and the future through her final days. Lucy was born in New York City on July 11, 1944, to Mary Burwell Allen Fowlkes and Dr. John Winston Fowlkes, the youngest of four children. She grew up in New York City and Nantucket, made her debut at the St. Regis and was a member of the Colony Club of New York. She graduated from the Chapin School, Bradford Junior College, and magna cum laude from Fordham University. After graduation, she lived in New York City and her enthusiasm for fun and adventure brought her on various trips abroad, to the original Woodstock concert, on spontaneous summer sails, and winter ski weekends. This passion for living carried on for the rest of her life, and was a hallmark of her personality. During these years she pursued her interest in interior design, and worked with inner-city youth and their parents. It was in this effort that she realized the importance and impact of early childhood education, and returned to school, graduating with a Masters in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University.

In 1979, Lucy married Dr. Robert Huntington "Hunt" Breed II at St. James Episcopal Church in New York City and lived in St. Louis while Hunt finished his medical training. They decided to move to New England, with a vision of raising a family in a small town. Hopkinton became their home for the next 35 years, where Lucy and Hunt immediately engaged in the community and St. Andrew's Church, and created a happy, welcoming, and loving home.

A lifelong downhill skier, Lucy gained a passion for biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and aerobics (during the 1980's). Family trips brought them to all corners of the world, with a theme of educational travel and cultural exploration. Most importantly, Lucy and Hunt taught their boys the importance of prioritizing family and friends. 

In New Hampshire Lucy focused on initiatives supporting children and young families as well as the state's art scene, and would be a volunteer, educator and patron of these causes for the rest of her life. Lucy was a board member of The Children's Place, founding the New Parents Support Group and mentoring parents of newborns for over 20 years, and was a founding Trustee of the New Hampshire Children's Trust, serving 14 years as a Trustee, with eight as Chair. Upon retirement, the Trust set up the Lucy Fowlkes Breed Legacy Fund in her honor. Lucy was deeply involved with the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester for over 30 years, including serving as a Trustee from 1994-2016, when she was elected trustee emerita.

Throughout her life, Nantucket was a constant. She first arrived as an infant in 1944, and grew up spending summers at her family's house on New Dollar Lane. She returned every year, extending the season to include holidays, and ultimately moved to Nantucket full-time in 2014.

A mother and mentor to many, she nurtured and cared for all her "summer children," and the island community was always close to her heart. A long-time member of the Nantucket Yacht Club, she loved playing tennis, beach picnics, exploring conservation land, sailing on the Sound, playing bridge, and continuing her parents' love of gardening. Most of all she loved being surrounded by her family and friends, enjoying laughter, stories, meals, and adventures. She lived in the present, stopped to smell roses and always had an open door to anyone who needed a meal or a bed.

Lucy is survived by her loving husband of 38 years, Dr. Robert Huntington Breed II; sons, Allen Huntington Breed and Robert Taylor Breed; daughter-in-law, Tarah Carroll Breed; grandchildren, Robert Huntington Breed III and George Garland Breed; brothers, John Winston Fowlkes III and George Allen Fowlkes; and her sister, Mary Espy "Polly" Millard.

Memorial services will be held Sunday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. St. Paul's Church on Nantucket and Saturday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. at St. Andrew's Church in Hopkinton, with receptions to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations to honor Lucy may be made in her name to the New Hampshire Children's Trust, 10 Ferry Street, Suite 315, Concord, NH, 03301 or online at nhchildrenstrust.org/ways-to-give.