Some lives are built around careers, some around places and some around purpose. For Chuck and Nancy, life has been built around faith, family, service and one another.
Their journey together began when Nancy was a nursing student at Northeast Baptist School of Nursing. One weekend, her good friend Marie invited Nancy home for a visit. Nancy still laughs remembering that she had to ask her family’s permission before going. “Things were different back then,” she said with a smile.
Marie’s cousin, Chuck, picked the two young women up from school and a lifelong love story quietly began.
Nancy was born in Everett, Massachusetts, where she was raised by her protective mother, Doris, and her father, Felix, a beloved milkman known for going above and beyond for the families on his route. He was dependable, compassionate and always willing to lend a helping hand. Nancy credits much of her caring spirit to her father’s example.
Chuck spent most of his childhood as an only child, raised by his parents, Madalyn, a devoted homemaker, and George, the head janitor for the Westwood, Massachusetts school system. When Chuck was 14, the family joyfully welcomed his baby sister, Cyndi. Education was important in the household, and although George encouraged Chuck to attend a respected truck driving school, Chuck instead chose Northeastern University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Relations.
Chuck and Nancy eventually married and raised two sons, Brent and Corey. After feeling called to ministry, Chuck moved with Nancy to Arden Hills, Minnesota, where he attended Bethel Seminary through the American Baptist Conference. Over the years, he faithfully served congregations in Vermont, Rhode Island, California and Carver, Massachusetts, spending roughly a decade at each church while also earning his PhD from Drew University.
Nancy’s nursing career became the steady thread that supported the family through every move and new chapter. No matter where life and faith led them, she was always able to find meaningful work caring for others. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration.
Along the way, the couple built a lifetime of memories through travel and family adventures. During a sabbatical while serving in California, they traveled through Norway, Paris, England and Sweden. One of their favorite family trips was traveling to Australia with their sons, where they visited members of Chuck’s extended Italian family.
Their deep faith and strong partnership also carried them through life’s greatest heartbreak: the illness and loss of their son, Brent. Through it all, they leaned on one another, their family and their faith.
Today, Chuck and Nancy are officially retired, but their lives remain rooted in caring for others and supporting one another in quiet, meaningful ways. This year, they celebrate 63 happy years of marriage.
Looking back on their life together, Nancy reflected simply and beautifully: “It has been a good life, and we don’t regret any of it.”
Their son Corey now lives in California with his wife, Emily, and what Nancy and Chuck lovingly describe as 24 goats. If you see the couple at Decatur House social hour, ask them about their many “goat grandkids.” You will almost certainly be rewarded with laughter, especially from their proud “Grand-daa-aa-ad,” Chuck.
