Nancy T. Evans, 87, died peacefully from Alzheimer’s on November 21, 2023 at Spanish Oaks Retreat in Savannah, Georgia.

Nancy was born in Columbia, MD on October 3, 1936.  She was the eldest of four daughters born to Fred Eugene Taylor and Winfred Hamilton Taylor. 

She spent the majority of her childhood in Shady Side, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay.  She attended a two-room schoolhouse.  Some of her fondest memories of Shady Side were learning to sail and crewing for her father in some local races.

When Nancy was a young teenager, the family packed up their sailboat and ventured down the intra-coastal waterway, finally residing in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Nancy graduated from Ft. Lauderdale high school and went on to become a Registered Nurse (R.N.), attending the Jackson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Miami, Florida. 

While in nursing school she was introduced to her future husband, Richard “Dick” Gale Evans, Jr..  Nancy’s sister, Barbara, had a boyfriend at the time, Ted Platt, who turned out to be Dick’s roommate in flight school while in the U.S. Air Force.  Barbara and Ted married shortly thereafter, and Nancy and Dick were married in Ft. Lauderdale in December of 1957.

From the warm weather of Florida, Nancy joined Dick in his post in Plattsburgh, NY with the Air Force.  By January 1959 they had relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, had the first of three daughters, and Dick had begun working in the family paper distribution business.  The couple went on to have two more daughters.

While in Cincinnati, Nancy longed to find an activity the whole family could do together.  That activity was taking up sailing again where Dick and the daughters (Pam, Lynn, and Barb) all crewed for Nancy in a sailboat called a Highlander.  This was in the early 70’s and Nancy was one of two female skippers at the local sailing club on Cowan Lake, in Wilmington, Ohio.  The family traveled to regattas in the Midwest and South and attended the Highlander National Championship on a regular basis.  There, Nancy was one of two female skippers for many years to follow.  Her love of sailing left an indelible impression on her daughters, who all went on to compete in the sport in their adult lives. Nancy also taught at Cowan Lake’s junior sailing summer camp, inspiring many young sailors; some of whom went on to compete in the Olympics and other world championships.

Nancy and Dick took many vacations chartering sailboats in the Caribbean, in Turkey, and even Australia with their fellow sailors and good friends made at Cowan Lake.

Also in Cincinnati, Nancy continued her nursing career while juggling a family and becoming a volunteer paramedic on the Madeira, Ohio life squad.  Once again, she found herself being the only female in a more male dominated arena. 

After hanging up her nurse’s hat, Nancy started a retail business, The Silky Way, with her daughter Lynn, selling silk plants and flowers and decorative items.  The business was a success and was eventually sold to another partner.

Nancy and Dick retired permanently to Savannah, Georgia in 1995.  They bought a house at The Landings and enjoyed many days of golf, bird watching, and going out in their 20’ Grady White power boat.  They both volunteered at the 1996 Olympics sailing venue in Savannah.  They were active members of the Skidaway Island United Methodist Church.  Nancy was a member of the local P.E.O. International club and the Rotary club at the Landings.

While in her retirement at The Landings, Nancy had to battle lymphoma and was ultimately cured of the disease.  She was a fighter in every sense of the word, and she maintained an incredibly positive attitude throughout her treatments. 

Nancy loved to travel, so she and Dick took several trips to Europe, a trip to Australia and New Zealand, a safari in Africa, a boat cruise to the Galapagos Islands and to Antarctica.

Nancy is preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Richard Evans, Jr., her parents, Fred Eugene Taylor and Winifred Hamilton Taylor, and her sisters Barbara Platt, Joan Duggan, and Linda Goldstein.

She is survived by her daughters, Pamela Evans Barry (Stephen), Lynn Evans Huber (David), and Barbara Evans (Vince Becker), as well as her grandchildren Max Evans Huber, Alex With Huber, Linsday Zeller (Jodie), and William Barry (Erica Young).

The family wishes to express their extreme gratitude to one of Nancy’s faithful caregivers, Twyla Hill.  Twyla was instrumental in seeing Nancy through her struggle with Alzheimer’s. The family is also grateful for all the care Nancy received at Spanish Oaks Retreat and The Marshes of Skidaway.

There will be a family graveside service on June 8, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio where Nancy will be buried next to her husband, Richard Evans Jr. in Rest Haven Memorial Park.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to the Leukemia &Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org) or the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).