Nancy Lynn Templeton

Nancy Lynn Templeton (nee Zobl) of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, passed away July 24, 2024 at the age of 55 after a year-long illness.

Nancy was born in Detroit to Patricia and the late Robert Zobl and grew up in Rochester, Michigan, graduating from Rochester High School in 1987. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning from Michigan State University and her Master's in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She married James Templeton in 2004, living first in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood in Philadelphia and then moving to Swarthmore in 2017.

Nancy was a valued member of the planning profession and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Nancy worked initially at H2L2 Architects/Planners and then as a community planner for the Montgomery County Planning Commission. She then found her professional home at WRT Design where she was a key member of the planning and urban design practice and worked on award-winning projects for communities across the country and in the Philadelphia region. Examples include the Albany 2030 Comprehensive Plan, the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, and the Philadelphia Zoning Code Rewrite, which received the National Planning Excellence Award for Best Practice from the American Planning Association.

More recently, Nancy worked at Glackin Thomas Panzak planners and ultimately at CHPlanning, an award-winning planning and community engagement firm based in Philadelphia. There she did planning work for the Port of Philadelphia KIA auto import facility, Philadelphia's Slow Zones, and Chester Vision 2035, a comprehensive plan that engaged city residents and leaders in envisioning an environmentally and economically sustainable future for the City of Chester, PA.

Nancy was recognized throughout the Philadelphia region as a leading expert in urban planning and provided expert testimony for hundreds of cases over the course of her career. She believed strongly in community-centered practices and her legacy in the city planning profession will be one of citizen-driven vision and sustainable communities. She was also honored to serve as a member of the Swarthmore Borough Planning Commission for the past six years.

Nancy was an avid traveler throughout her life. Her family traveled across the country frequently during her childhood, and she traveled solo across the US and in Asia after college. Nancy shared many memorable trips with her own family across the country, including many trips back to Michigan to ensure that her sons, Colin and Marcus, knew all about Lake Michigan and the Detroit Tigers. Nancy also traveled with her family to Europe, sharing her love of history, art and architecture, and fine food with her sons. In June, Nancy fulfilled her dream of seeing Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park with her family.

More than her many professional accolades and passions, Nancy will be remembered as delightfully witty, quick to laugh, and generous of spirit. Everyone who knew her spoke of her unique sense of humor, her ability to be both silly and sly, and the laughter she generated so often. Many of her friends and family knew the joy of having conversations with Nancy that were made up almost entirely of movie quotes, reflecting her clever humor and her encyclopedic knowledge of old and new classic films and all the great sci-fi and fantasy classics. She was a beloved wife and mother, a cherished daughter and sister, a generous friend, and a kind neighbor.

Nancy is survived by her beloved husband of 20 years, James Templeton, her treasured sons Colin and Marcus, and her dear mother, Patricia Zobl. Nancy was the cherished sister of Susan (John Hakken), James (Nancy Jeanne), Richard (Margie), and Elizabeth Zobl-Tar (Jason). She was a beloved daughter- and sister-in-law to Joan and Bob Templeton and Erin Tsucalas (Jonathan) and the honored aunt of 11 nieces and nephews. Nancy was preceded in death by her father, Robert Zobl.

A celebration of Nancy's life will be held at a later date. Nancy's memory can be honored by donations to the American Cancer Society and the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation.