Nancy Mary Thurston

1934 - 2026

Nancy Mary (Robichaud) Thurston

February 18, 1934 - January 28, 2026

It is with heavy and stunned hearts that we announce the passing of Nancy Mary (Robichaud) Thurston on January 28, 2026. Nancy was born on February 18, 1934, at Glens Falls Hospital, the only child of Margaret and Gustave Robichaud. Nancy was raised by her mother and her grandmother, Emma Reinieger Campbell.

She first attended St. Alphonsus School, then St. Mary's, and graduated from South Glens Falls High, Class of 1952. She credited her teachers with encouraging her to graduate and caring about her education. Nancy prided herself on remembering classmates from all three schools and enjoyed running into them throughout the years and catching up on their lives.

Nancy was a proud native of Glens Falls and loved to talk to visitors about the best restaurants and shops. Everyone seemed to know her and she, them; she had an uncanny ability to walk into an out-of-town restaurant – even out-of-state – only to hear someone call her name and say hello.

Her first job was as a cashier at Cliff Lewis' Supermarket on Main Street in South Glens Falls while she was still in high school. After graduation, Nancy entered GE's secretarial pool in Hudson Falls where she met her future husband of almost 70 years, George Theodore Thurston, a young engineer from West Cummington, Massachusetts.

After their wedding in 1956, George built their home, with lots of input from Nancy, in the newly-created Ridge Meadows neighborhood in Queensbury, which felt to Nancy like the middle of nowhere compared to her city of Glens Falls, even though it was just on the other side of Quaker Road.

Nancy became a stay-at-home mom once Christine was born, followed by Sally and George Stephen (Steve). While raising her kids she was a Girl Scout leader and a Sunday School teacher at First Presbyterian in Glens Falls.

In 1981 she rejoined the workforce as a Mary Kay Cosmetics sales consultant as part of her daughter Chris' team. Nancy was instrumental in developing sales in the greater Glens Falls area for the company. With her outgoing personality and determination, she quickly generated a large customer base and her own team of consultants. She retired from Mary Kay in 2000.

Despite being afraid of the water and boats, Nancy climbed aboard the family boat with George, the three kids and at times other friends and family, almost every summer weekend to travel to the islands of Lake George for picnics, swimming and water skiing. Once there, Nancy would often relax in her little yellow rubber boat, life jacket at the ready.

Nancy and George eventually turned the love of Lake George from a boating adventure to a summer house in Diamond Point so that Nancy could avoid two things: boating and driving the twisting road over Tongue Mountain. The camp became a beloved family gathering place.

For the past 14 months Nancy lived at The Landing at Queensbury where she knew everyone's names, made several new friends, and participated in activities. We are grateful for the care that the staff of The Landing provided for our mom. She died at Glens Falls Hospital, quietly in her sleep, after a brief and minor illness.

Our mom was our biggest protector, advocate and cheerleader. She was no-nonsense and did not suffer fools, especially bullies. She instilled in us a love of reading, the value of education, and an ability to laugh at ourselves. Family was utmost; every family gathering was prefaced with her favorite phrase: "Thank the Lord we're all together."

Nancy loved creative writing, needlework, her Catholic upbringing, reading books and playing cards, especially Rummy 500 with Steve and her grandchildren. Her favorite foods were chocolate ice cream, root beer floats, and steak with a baked potato and sour cream. She hated spicy foods and would find a drop of tabasco in a gallon of chili just a little too hot for her taste.

Nancy was predeceased by her parents; George's parents, George and Eleanore; her sons-in-law, Mark Whitcher and Mark Power; and her aunts, Dorothy LeClair, Agnes Shands, and Virginia (Betty) Heber; as well as her life-long friend, Shirley (Newton) LaClair, matron of honor at her wedding.

Nancy leaves behind her husband of 69 years, George; her daughter Christine Whitcher; Christine's daughter Dr. Monica (Whitcher) DiLorenzo, her husband Dr. Michael DiLorenzo, and their daughter Eleanor; Sally Thurston and her children Emily and Alexander Power; Stephen Thurston, his wife Dr. Cathryn (Quantic) Thurston, and their children Hazel and Harry Thurston. She also leaves behind two special cousins Cinnia (Heber) Edwards and Nancy (Shands) Ruff.

Also alive to honor her memory are George's brother Norman Thurston and his wife, Joan; her nephew Robert Thurston and his wife Diana; her niece Danielle (Thurston) Calebaugh and her husband Paul, along with their children and grandchildren.

In honor of Monica's graduation from medical school, Nancy chose to donate her body to Albany Medical College's Anatomical gifts program for the education of medical students there.

Services will be held at The Baker Funeral Home (11 Lafayette Street, Queensbury) on Saturday, February 21 with calling hours at noon followed by a memorial service at 2 p.m. A celebratory repast will follow at the Queensbury Hotel.

If you'd like to honor Nancy's memory, please consider a donation to The Salvation Army of Glens Falls, easternusa.salvationarmy.org/empire/glens-falls/ or The Hudson Falls Free Library, hudsonfalls.sals.edu/support/.

Condolences and floral arrangements may be sent directly to Baker Funeral Home, 11 Lafayette St., Queensbury, NY 12804, or through www.bakerfuneralhome.com.