Nancy Lee Curley's Obituary
On April 10th, 2018, our beloved Stepmom, Aunt, Cousin, Sister, and Friend went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Nancy Keen Curley lived a Godly, strong, and long life, serving others through her 40 plus year career teaching in several Delaware Elementary schools in the Alfred I DuPont School District and in the Southern Delaware School Districts. Teaching young hearts was her passion and she was well loved and is remembered by her students. She also was active with Meals on Wheels, delivering with her husband, Arthur Curley, who preceded her in death in 2013 after 43 years of marriage.
Nancy, born in 1931 to Stanley & Frances Folsom Keen, in Wilmington, De, was one of 13 children. She leaves behind 3 of those siblings: Vereda Keen Clough of Kitty Hawk, NC, Francis Keen Russell of Wilmington and Merrill (Linda) Keen of Chesapeake City, MD.
A 1949 graduate of PS DuPont High School, Nancy went on to graduate from Bob Jones University, and returned to Delaware where she lived half of her life in the Wilmington area, and in her later years, she and her husband resided in the Rehoboth/Lewes area, where she passed away.
Nancy’s love of knitting, doing needle point, and cross stitch lead her to open a knitting store in Rehoboth called the “Yarn Basket”, which she owned and ran for a number of years. Over the years she made sure at least every one of her stepdaughters, nieces and nephews had afghans when they got married and beautiful knitted blankets for the arrival of new babies (which could mean over 65 pieces!).
Nancy will be greatly missed by her stepdaughters whom she loved and treated as her own: Claudia (David) Curley Van Hook of Wake Forest, NC & Mary (Russell) Curley Brannan, of Lincoln University, PA, as well as the 8 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren. She was also a devoted aunt to over 45 nieces and nephews and their children, who will miss her dearly, as well as many dear friends.
The family would like to thank the staff at Brandywine Senior Living’s Reflections unit for their kind and patient care of Nancy and for the Hospice care of Vitas support as well.
A Memorial Service at Lewes Presbyterian Church, 133 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE, is being planned for May 22, Nancy’s 87th birthday at 11:00 AM.
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