Nance Lee Briscoe

Nance Lee Briscoe (née Bagetto), 78, of Charles Town, West Virginia, passed away peacefully on March 2, 2026, attended by her husband of 44 years, her son Shane and her close friend Emily.

Born on August 24, 1947, in Watertown, New York, Nance lived a life marked by dedication to her family, groundbreaking contributions to science and technology, and a deep appreciation for art and nature.

Nance graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Her career was distinguished by pioneering work in technology, research and development. After being honorably discharged by the U.S. Navy in 1966, Nance's first civilian job was wiring fuel tanks for Sargent Fletcher – she was the only one on the team able to crawl into the tanks to connect the wiring. In 1969, she contributed to the development of the Envirogen Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System, played a role in the creation of the Sony Betamax in 1972, and participated in the innovation of 3M's Blue Paddle for Surface Application of Aluminum Film in 1979-1980. Employed by the University of California at Irvine from 1979 to 1984, Nance supervised and managed the construction and installation of the large digital flash chamber detector for the UCI/LAMPF/LANL Neutrino Elastic Electron Scattering Experiment #225 at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility, which led to several peer-reviewed physics and engineering publications.

After her marriage to Bill the family moved east, Nance spent several years at NIST in a technical role before settling at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 1984. Nance worked her way up the ladder from Museum Specialist to Collections Manager and eventually earned the rank of Curator in the Division of Electricity and Modern Physics, which she held until her retirement in 2010. Nance was responsible for the Particle Accelerator exhibit and became the Museum's subject expert in microelectronics (i.e. computer chips) and served as lead collections manager the Information Age exhibit. Nance was responsible for the volunteers who performed data entry and photo-digitized of the collections and from 2000 to 2003 she served as manager of the Smithsonian's amateur radio station, NN3SI. Nance took a particular interest in the Insulator Collection; the National Insulator Association honored her with the opportunity to name an unknown type of insulator found in the Western Union Collection, which she named "the Slice,"

Nance's most significant contribution to the Smithsonian came through her interest in microelectronics. An electrical technician by training, Nance leveraged that experience and cultivated relationships with various electronics companies, including Intel, Motorola, and especially Integrated Circuit Engineering Company. Nance was instrumental in building what may be the best collection of computer chip technology in the world. Nance created oral histories and preserve important milestones in the development of chips. She worked with a team at the University of Florida to photograph microscopic artwork usually hidden away inside these chips; it is a resource that will be of value for decades to come.

Nance was affectionately known as "The Intern Queen," and regularly hosted multiple students each year, overseeing projects and training many novice museum professionals, and even a few new specialists. After retirement she continued assisting museum staff in identifying objects and in providing historical and institutional information to researchers.

During her sabbatical (1987-1988) from the Smithsonian, Nance spent a year at Le Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) in Paris, France. Nance performed a study which led to the modernization and presentations of the CNAM collection. Her remarkable achievements were recognized internationally when she was presented with the Academic Medal of Achievement in Science and Technology by the French Ministry of Education.

Nance's love for her family was boundless. She is survived by her beloved husband, William; her sons Shane and Scott; daughter-in-law Stephanie; her cherished grandchildren Caroline, Cindel, Jayce, Reid, Clayton and Gideon; godchildren Kevin and Elizabeth; and her special daughters Emily and Lindsey and sister Rita. She was predeceased by her parents, Dominic Frank Bagetto and Mary Gertrude Pickett, stepson Shawn, and brother Robert.

Outside of her professional life and family commitments, Nance found joy in art, gardening, and handy work. Her creativity and resourcefulness were evident not only in her hobbies but also in how she approached life with passion and determination. For more than the last decade Nance guided the West Virginia State Homeowners Association with great dedication.

Nance will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, godmother, and friend who embraced all those around her with unconditional love. Her legacy will live on through her family and the many lives she touched throughout her extraordinary journey.

Internment is private; a memorial service and reception to celebrate her life will occur in the spring and will be announced in the future.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Gabriel Project via St James the Greater Catholic Church, Charles Town, WV. https://www.stjameswv.org/