Nancy Lawless Cucuzzella

Nancy Cucuzzella Obituary
Nancy Lawless Cucuzzella, 84, of Ellicott City, Maryland, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, great aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully with her husband and four sons by her side after recently suffering a stroke.
Originally Nancy Margaret Lawless, of Wilmington, Delaware, was one of three daughters born into the second-generation Irish American family of Augustus and Margaret Lawless. She attended Ursuline Academy from kindergarten, where she met and established cherished life- long friendships, and then attended the University of Delaware, earning a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology. Her first date and dance with her future husband, Vincent J. Cucuzzella, also of Wilmington, was at his 16th birthday celebration. The two embarked on their courtship in earnest during their college years and married in 1962; they celebrated a 61st wedding anniversary on November 17, 2023.
Nancy blended well into Vincent's large, lively, and often boisterous Italian family. Having been raised in a comparative quiet but loving environment, she always found humor in this aspect of her life as she navigated extravagant Italian family gatherings with grace and aplomb. Along the way she mastered "meatballs and gravy" that rivaled, and indeed surpassed, that of the Sicilian descendants in the family.
After marriage, Nancy's life quickly centered upon her four boys and joyfully transitioned to service to her family and community. The backyard became the neighborhood football and baseball fields for scores of rambunctious youths, and the house was the indoor playground when the weather turned bad. In contrast to the groomed lawns of today's suburbia, Nancy's backyard inconspicuously exhibited large hardened dirt spots occasioned by the wear and tear of near- constant outdoor play.
The boys each became passionately involved in sports, where Nancy was a constant presence at little league games and track and cross country meets, always serving as the "team Mom" long before that phrase was coined. She managed the full schedules of four busy boys while always having fresh food on the table as Vincent captained a small business to support the family.
Summers were filled with trips to the pool and with family beach vacations to Avalon, New Jersey, where Nancy and Vincent invested in a summer home that has remained in the family for 50 years. The beach home was always a place of refuge, peace, and joy, especially as grandchildren arrived, enriching and strengthening the family's bonds.
Nancy was a voracious reader, having consumed entire genres, most notably anything with an Irish hook. Her "happy place" was the Miller Branch of the Howard County Public Library. She was quick to share prized books with friends, family, and members of her book club, who always welcomed her recommendations.
Nancy was a dedicated caregiver. She nurtured Vincent through multiple cardiac episodes that began in their thirties, holding the family together through illness and recoveries; through her strength, love, compassion she sustained Vincent to the present. As the boys grew, she returned to work as a medical technician at healthcare offices in Baltimore, and once retired became a hospice volunteer finding purpose threading rosaries for the patients she served.
The joy of her life arrived with the births of her nine grandchildren, including granddaughters who became the daughters she never had. She found special joy in sharing an ice cream cone with the children at Sundae's Best in Avalon or Nutter's in Sharpsburg, Maryland, and found purpose in gifting to them precious items from her life.
A faith-filled Roman Catholic, Nancy and Vincent educated the boys at Resurrection School in Ellicott City and Loyola Blakefield in Towson, and found strength in attending weekly masses for decades at St. Paul's Church in Ellicott City.
Nancy is survived by her husband, Vincent, sons Chris, Mark, Neil, and Paul, her daughters-in- law Jeanne, Lori, and Heather, her grandchildren Elizabeth, Leo, Sam, Caroline, Lily, Will, Mia, Anna, and Ben, her sister Carolyn and her son Michael, and her sister Jean's children, Bob, Susan, and Carol.
In Lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to St. Paul's Catholic Church.