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About
Nancy O'Neil Obituary
Always curious, a voracious reader, Nancy saw her educational ambitions postponed by motherhood, but she began taking classes in her 30s and graduated with a bachelor's degree in child psychology from Sarah Lawrence College in 1970. She went on to earn a master's degree in historic preservation from Columbia University and led renovations of landmark properties in Hartford and Simsbury, CT with her husband, C. Roderick O'Neil.
In 2018, an article in Hartford Magazine described them as "a couple who were instrumental in Hartford's revival." But her family remembers Nancy best as a witty and loving Nonna who shared her passion for books with three generations -- with everyone she met, really.
Nancy O'Neil was born on Sept. 27, 1931 in Chicago to Anthony Galante, an Italian immigrant who became a police officer in Glencoe, Illinois, and Emilie Odstrcil, an emigre from what is now the Czech Republic.
She and Rory, as her husband was known, were married in 1952 and lived in Highland Park, Illinois, before moving to Chappaqua in 1965. Nancy is survived by five children - Brian, Sarah, Kevin, John and Anne - 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Rory died in 2012 and her son Tim died in 2022.
A memorial service will be held on June 14 at 11 am at the Hotel MTK in Mount Kisco. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center at Columbia University or to the Nancy O'Neil Fund for the Preservation of the Mark Twain House.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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