Nancy F. Cotellessa

Nancy Florin Cotellessa (Mancini), 90, passed away peacefully on May 13, 2025, in her home at Ogden House in Wilton, CT, surrounded by her three loving children.

Born on July 9, 1934, in Stamford, Connecticut, she was the daughter of the late Antonini and Maria Domenica (Del Pianto) Mancini. Nancy was raised in Stamford as the youngest of five children. Family struggles led her to leave Stamford High School during her junior year to help support the household. As a teenager, she worked at places like W.T. Grant and Yale & Towne as a sales assistant. Her life took a positive turn when she began working at Bloomingdale’s shortly after its Stamford opening in the early 1950s. There, she became manager of the drapery department, gaining experience in retail, working with New York City buyers, and forming lifelong friendships. It was during this time when she met her husband, Nicholas A. Cotellessa, a successful self-employed musician and accordionist. They married in 1959, and Nancy became a devoted stay-at-home mother.

Determined to finish what she started, Nancy went back to school at night and proudly earned her GED in 1980 — the same year her daughter Susan graduated from high school.

Nancy had a beautiful voice and a deep love of music. She didn’t fully pursue singing until later in life and her passion blossomed in her 60s when she began taking jazz and cabaret classes at Turtle Bay Music School in Manhattan. Encouraged by her instructors and loved ones, she went on to perform her own cabaret show at New York City’s iconic Don’t Tell Mama cabaret club in 2007. She continued performing locally and loved participating in open mic nights at Harlem’s storied Lenox Lounge in the early 2010s. Nancy also appeared in several benefit cabaret shows at St. Paul’s on the Green in Norwalk and loved singing karaoke with friends and family. Those who heard and saw her were often surprised to discover that she had not pursued a career as a performer, given the beauty of her voice as well as her natural stage presence and easy rapport with the audience.

Alongside her musical talents, Nancy had a quick wit and a formidable sense of humor. She loved to laugh and never hesitated to make herself the target of a joke, if it meant bringing joy to others. She believed in the importance of laughing at oneself and did so with grace and charm. Her fierce love for her family — especially for her beloved grandson, Brad — was the core of her generous and vibrant spirit.

Nancy is survived by her children: Terri Sheridan (Bob Wallace) of Wilton, Susan Jones of Norwalk, and Nicholas T. Cotellessa, Jr. (Volker Mauch) of Oslo, Norway; her grandson, Bradford Sheridan of NYC; her devoted caregiver and friend, Mazie Grey of NYC; and several loving nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband, Nicholas A. Cotellessa; her son- in-law, Les "Tigger" Jones; her siblings, Theresa Mancini, Philomena DeMarco, Gloria Inzitari, and Joseph Mancini.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff of Ogden House for their kindness during Nancy’s nine years as a resident there, and to the wonderful team at Ridgefield Visiting Nurses Hospice for their compassionate care.

Friends may call on Tuesday, May 20 from 4:00–8:00 PM at Lacerenza Macari Family Funeral Home, 8 Schuyler Avenue, Stamford, CT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 21 at 10:00 AM at St. Mary’s Church, 566 Elm Street, Stamford, CT. Entombment will immediately follow at St. John’s Cemetery, 223 Richards Avenue, Norwalk, CT.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Nancy’s memory to: RVNAhealth, 27 Governor Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877 www.rvnahealth.org