Obituary: Nancy Lee Shultz, 83, Longtime Wilton Resident

Information and Photo Courtesy Bouton Funeral Home

WILTON, CT — Nancy Lee Shultz, a longtime resident of Wilton, died peacefully on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at her home at Meadow Ridge, Redding. Born Nancy Allayne Lee in North Weymouth, Mass., on Oct. 18, 1940, she was the daughter of Joseph N. Lee and Helen (Roulston) Lee. She was 83.

Nancy grew up in North Weymouth and attended Vermont College. While growing up in North Weymouth, she met Robert (Bob) E. Shultz, the son of Earle and Cora (Falconer) Shultz., and after a courtship, the pair were married in the late 1950’s. They soon welcomed their first son, Gary Robert.

After graduating from Norwich University, Bob served as an officer in the Army which took the young couple to Delaware, where their second son, James Lee (Jamie), was born. Following his move to the private sector, Bob pursued a highly successful and celebrated career in corporate pensions and investments. The family relocated to Smithtown, Long Island, where the family planted further roots. While in Long Island, Bob and Nancy welcomed the youngest of their children, twin girls, Tanya Lynn and Tracy Ann.

The Shultz family was active in the Smithtown community. They carried the street sign of the Shultz children’s childhood home, Salt Hay Way, for years to come. While in Smithtown, Nancy, a talented seamstress and crafter, worked with Long Island’s Act 1 Theater Workshop from the late 1960s through the early 1970s. Nancy worked on sewing costumes and helped with set design, while occasionally playing a bit part along with the likes of famed actor Brian Dennehy.

Faith was a large part of the Shultz family’s life. Nancy and Bob were active in the First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown. Nancy taught and became the superintendent for the Sunday school for many years at the church and served on various committees.

A talented cook and a hostess who could put Martha Stewart to shame, Nancy often hosted dinners for visiting clergy, wine club dinners, and after service luncheons on Sunday.

With their children getting older and leaving the nest, Bob’s career again took the Shultz family to a new location – Roswell, Georgia. Nancy would often joke about a staunch New England "Yankee" fitting in with the Southern society.

Eventually, Bob and Nancy relocated to Wilton, and their now adult children settled around them in the area. In Wilton, Nancy again took leadership roles in the Wilton Congregational Church. She served in various charitable organizations in Fairfield County and used her considerable sewing talents to sell items both for charity and in craft fairs. As her children married and Bob and Nancy joyfully welcomed grandchildren, she took pride in creating adorable outfits for them in their youth.

The Shultz family took great joy in their second home, Holderness, New Hampshire, on Squam Lake, where Bob had spent much of his youth. Originally renting homes, eventually Bob and Nancy found the perfect family refuge on Mooney Point Road in the early 1990s. Nancy enjoyed watching her children and grandchildren enjoy the backdrop of “On Golden Pond,” swimming and laughing. Her grandchildren took delight in playing board games with her in the cooling evenings and listening to the stories of her youth.

Nancy was an incredibly devoted wife, mother and even more devoted grandmother. She was smart as a whip, an eagle-eyed crossword puzzle solver, and was never without a quick quip or wise crack that was as hilarious as it was disarming to the recipient. Nancy had a marvelous sense of humor, and her laughter was magical. She was cultured and inspiring, with an incredibly generous spirit – Nancy’s presence was larger than life. Her loss is immeasurable to her family. She will be greatly missed.

Nancy is survived by her husband of over six decades, Bob; her sons, Gary and his wife, Noel, of Chicago, Jamie and his wife, Susan, of Wilton; her daughters, Tanya Birmingham, and her husband, Michael, of Ridgefield, and Tracy Mandel, of Shelton. As their beloved Grammie, Nancy will be dearly missed by her grandchildren, Megan Dawley, Meredith, and her husband, Brian Spicer, and Melissa Dawley; Liam, Erin and Kieran Birmingham; Lucy and Annabelle Shultz, and Henry Shultz. She is also survived by a devoted cousin, Natalie Palmer, and her husband David, of Rhode Island, and a brother, David Lee, of New Hampshire. Nancy is predeceased by her son-in-law James Mandel.

A memorial service for Nancy Lee Shultz will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. at Wilton Congregational Church, 70 Ridgefield Road, with interment to follow at Hillside Cemetery. Flowers for the service may be sent directly to Bouton Funeral Home, 31 West Church Street, Georgetown (Wilton) CT, or memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital.