Nancy celebrated her 86th birthday just a week ago when this picture was taken during a visit by her daughter Ann Cameron Worthington of Sierra Madre, CA. Nancy’s sons, Steven Harling Worthington of San Francisco, CA, Peter Stuart Worthington of Brunswick, ME, and Eric Richard Worthington of Yuma, AZ, all got to see her during the time leading up to her passing.
Nancy acquired her master’s degree in journalism from Rutgers University, and attended Middlebury and The Ringling School of Art. On July 2, 1956, Nancy was married to Richard Cameron Worthington. Nancy learned of her engagement to her college sweetheart Richard while she was at a Middlebury football game. Just as Richard was taken off the field with a knee injury, she overheard a friend remark, “Oh, that’s too bad, Dick was going to pop the question to his girl right after the game!”
Nancy and Richard raised their four children in Lynbrook Long Island and Suffern, NY, where she worked as a special education teacher for BOCES. She was a life-long member of the Unitarian Universalist Church. Active at the UU congregation in Central Nassau, NY, at the UU Congregation of Rockland in Pomona, NY, spending the majority of the past 20 years at the UU congregation on Allen Avenue in Portland, ME, and most recently attending the UU congregation in Brunswick, ME.
She and Richard retired to Bridgton, Maine, where she was beloved as Mother Goose the Story Lady at Bridgton Public Library for many years. They later moved to Thornton Oaks in Brunswick, where she participated in the Center Stage Players and was an active member of that community. Nanny, as she is lovingly referred to by her grandchildren, put her brilliant multi-faceted soul to good use in so many wonderful ways. Her soul has a playful side which always had a box full of costumes in the loft for the grandkids, a care giving side that always baked an extra sour cream coffee cake for a friend in need. She has an educating soul that taught many about recycling as her costumed character Clara Clutter and as a docent at the Maine Maritime Museum, and a devoted soul which unceasingly gave of herself to her husband, her children, her family, her friends, her parishioners, her community, and her world. She will be missed by many as she was loved by all.
She was recently predeceased by her brother George David Heiland of Sarasota, FL and is survived by her husband of 62 years, Richard C. Worthington of Brunswick, ME, her children, Ann, Steven, Peter and Eric, and her nine grandchildren.
To honor Nancy’s requests, services will be held at a later date to be announced.
Arrangements are in the care of Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal St., Brunswick.
Condolences can be expressed to the family by visiting www.brackettfuneralhome.com.
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