Nancy Lewis Pascucci, a former resident of East Aurora and Batavia, New York died peacefully on Sunday Feb. 11th. She was 93.
Mrs. Pascucci was born on April 6, 1930 in Spencer, NY, the eldest child of the late Harold and Jean (nee Fisher) Durham. The Durhams moved to East Aurora when Nancy was 12 years old. After graduating from East Aurora High School in 1947, she attended Keuka College where she enjoyed studying sociology and being the coxswain for the Keuka College rowing team.
Mrs. Pascucci also attended Bryant and Stratton College and following graduation worked as the administrative assistant to the Superintendent of the East Aurora School District until the birth of her first child.
She married Loran L. Lewis, IV in June 1951 and they were together until his death in 1990.
A lover of the theater arts, Nancy loved music, singing and acting. She was a founding member of The Aurora Children’s Theater group which performed plays in elementary schools throughout Western New York in the 1960’s. Mrs. Pascucci was active in the Aurora Players performing in such plays as Picnic, The Music Man, South Pacific and Guys and Dolls. She also enjoyed working behind the scenes, winning the Aurora Players creative award for outstanding special effects. Nancy sang in the choir of the First Presbyterian Church of East Aurora for nearly 25 years.
Mrs. Pascucci also sang in the Quaker Chapter of Sweet Adelines, an organization devoted to singing barbershop harmony. As a past President and Show Director, Mrs. Pascucci was selected as the Sweet Adeline of the Year in the 1970’s from more than 1,000 members in Western and Central New York, Northern Pennsylvania and Southern Ontario.
Nancy also loved to play bridge and formed a bridge group with her friends that met on a weekly basis.
Mrs. Pascucci worked at The Aurora Town Public Library in East Aurora, NY for 25 years, retiring after she married her second husband, Louis Pascucci in 1995 and moved to Batavia, NY.
A lover of travel, Nancy travelled extensively throughout her long life, especially enjoying her trips to Italy with her husband Louis, England and Scotland with her daughter, and Hawaii and Puerto Rico with her friends. As a member of an Orchard Park Senior Citizen group, Diamonds in the Rough, she participated in nearly every trip, concert, talk or play they organized.
Nancy loved people and possessed an uncanny ability to make friends with nearly everyone she met. Her youthful spirit and fun-loving nature was only matched by her kindness, generosity and concern for others. Most importantly, Nancy loved her family. They were her greatest joy and comfort. She will be deeply missed.
She is survived by her daughters Elizabeth (Thomas Saunders) Lewis, Jennifer (Jeron Drew) Lewis Drew, and son Robert Lewis; sister Joan “Joey” Newell, brother Thomas (Patricia) Durham. She is also survived by her grandchildren Christopher (Rachel) Saunders, Gabriel (Saba) Saunders, Nicholas (Faith) Drew, Kelsey Drew, eight great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild as well as many nieces and nephews.
She is predeceased by her first husband Loran L. Lewis IV, second husband Louis Pascucci and granddaughter Alicia Saunders Convard.
Visitation hours at the J. Leonard McAndrew Funeral Home, LLC, 2 Bogue Ave., Batavia on Friday, February 16th from 11am-2pm to be followed immediately by a graveside committal service at Grandview Cemetery in Batavia. All are welcome.
A Celebration of Life will take place in the summer.
Memorial donations can be made to the Aurora Town Public Library at 550 Main Street, East Aurora, NY 14052 or to ArcGLOW, 64 Walnut Street, Batavia, NY 14020. Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.mcandrewfuneralhomes.net.
ARRANGEMENTS WERE ENTRUSTED TO THE J. LEONARD McANDREW FUNERAL HOME, LLC, 2 BOGUE AVE., BATAVIA, NY 14020. RONALD KONIECZNY II, DIRECTOR.
