Nancy C. Rollins

Nancy V. Rollins (nee Carter), wife of Richard H. Rollins, passed away at home on Friday, April 4, 2025, surrounded by her family.
Nancy was born on August 9, 1940, at Cable Hospital in Ipswich, MA to Raymond "Pete" and Elizabeth (Evans) Carter. She was a lifelong resident of West Gloucester. Nancy was never happy with her middle name, so she had it legally changed to use her maiden name as her middle name, Nancy C. Rollins.
Nancy met her husband at a Grange dance at the old West Gloucester Grange Hall when she was 14 years old. They started dating when they were 16 years old. Dick went into the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and came home on leave from Germany and they were married 3 weeks later. They had 69 years together and 64 years married.
Nancy graduated high school in 1958. During Dick's time in the Army, Nancy attended cosmetology school at Essex Aggie. She worked as a hairdresser at various locations, her last being at Mr. Frederick's in Hamilton. After doing hair for 24 years, she decided to change her career and became a bank teller, retiring from Citizen's Bank in Gloucester. After retirement she worked for 15 years as a cashier at Cape Ann Golf Course. She loved dealing with people.
Nancy was a member of the Chargers Youth Program, working with young ladies in cheerleading and softball. She was a life member of the AMVETS Auxiliary and served as president of the AMVET Auxiliary 32 of Gloucester. She was also a 70-year member of the Grange.
Nancy and Dick bought a condo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where they wintered for many years during their retirement. They had several friends from this area over the years. Nancy did not like the cold or snow.
Her favorite thing to do was reading books. You would never find her without her Kindle nearby. Flower gardening was also a passion for her. She had 5 gardens on her yard which she worked on constantly. Crafting was another passion. Family meant everything to her. Nancy's love for animals was huge. Her husky Yukon would lay by her feet, a cat Leyra would cuddle with her in her chair, and another cat Cerci would lay on the back of her chair.
Nancy and Dick took many cruises. Destinations included Alaska (Nancy's favorite), Hawaii from San Francisco, the Panama Canal, 2 ocean cruises in Europe, and a 15-day river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, as well as 10-12 Caribbean cruises.
In addition to her husband, Nancy is survived by her son, Dr. Michael Rollins and his wife Cindy of Litchfield, AZ; daughter, Annette Leissner of Gloucester; former son-in-law, Christian Leissner Sr. of ME; grandchildren, Christian Leissner Jr. and his wife Becky of Palmer, MA, Melanie Rollins of Litchfield, AZ, Tara and Joshua Leissner of Gloucester; great-granddaughters, Adeline and Caroline Leissner of Palmer, MA; brother, Frank Carter; sisters-in-law, Carol Carter of Georgetown, MA, Patricia McKinney of Inverness, FL, and Dorothy Carr and her husband Russell of West Newbury, MA.
She was predeceased by her parents, Raymond and Elizabeth (Evans) Carter and her brother, Charles.
Nancy was released from the ICU at Beverly Hospital to come home on January 14, 2025, her 64th wedding anniversary, to hospice care at home. A big thank you to Care Dimensions. Their staff were comforting and cared for her with compassion. A special thank you to Sybil (her nurse) and May (her aide). Her daughter Annette was very much involved in her care for the past 10 weeks.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. in the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester. A service for Nancy will be held on Friday, April 11, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. at the West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church, 488 Essex Avenue, Gloucester. Burial will follow at Dolliver Memorial Cemetery. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. At the family's request, attendance at the services should be very casual.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to either the Gloucester Dog Park, P.O. Box 6, Gloucester, MA 01930 or to Cape Ann Animal Aid, 4 Paws Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930.