Nancy Babits

1946 - 2026

Nancy (Mayer) Babits Greenville - Nancy Babits, daughter of Theodore and Wilma Mayer, died with her husband by her side, 19 February 2026. The funeral service will be conducted on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 3:30 PM in the Wilkerson Funeral Chapel. Private entombment will be held in the mausoleum at Pinewood Memorial Park. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 5 to 7 PM at Wilkerson Funeral Home. Nancy was born 25 June 1946 in Chester, South Carolina. Much of her early life was spent in North Dakota, then in Maryland. While at the University of Maryland, she demonstrated her musical talent by singing and playing at small venues including the Folger in Washington, DC. Along the way, she interviewed family members and recorded their songs. She performed many of these with lifelong friends Denis Reen and John Curry. After graduation from Maryland in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, she found employment in a variety of public educational advocacy firms before relocating to North Carolina. There she worked for the Department of Administration supervising student grants and other projects. She also cofounded and captained Reedy Creek Rugby Football Club, the first women's club admitted to the Rugby Football Union. In 1976, Nancy and Larry decided to see the Bicentennial from western Europe while camping and using her degree to see a more nuanced version of Spain. In Britain they were treated to spontaneous Bicentennial "tournaments" by patrons of over 100 pubs they visited. Upon returning to the States, they relocated to Providence, Rhode Island, where Nancy put Larry through graduate school by working for a Nobel Laureate. When Larry graduated and obtained employment, they moved to Lexington, Virginia, where Nancy worked as a copy editor and writer for the Buena Vista News. They moved on to Savannah, Georgia, where Nancy worked as a paralegal and welcomed John into the family. They ended their Bicentennial saga by participating in the Yorktown, Virginia, celebration of the British Army's 1781 surrender. After a decade in coastal Georgia, they moved to Greenville, North Carolina, where, in addition to her duties as Mom, Nancy worked as a paralegal, then as Trial Court Coordinator for the District Court Judges until she retired. In retirement she continued writing and playing music, enjoying the company of Larry, her cats, and neighbors. Her traveling days over, she worked in her garden, sewed quilted pillow covers and enjoyed making cookies, pies, and the occasional trifle for family and friends. She is survived by her husband of fifty years, a sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Gary Evans, and their son Kyle, of Columbia, South Carolina. In lieu of flowers, the family would greatly appreciate donations to the Maritime Studies Foundation Account, Program in Maritime Studies, in memory of Nancy Babits, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858. These funds will be used to create an endowed student scholarship. Online condolences at www.wilkersonfuneralhome.com