Nancy E. Del Signore

Nancy Eleanor Del Signore (née Gould), beloved for her generous spirit, joyous personality and uplifting smile, passed away peacefully in Troy, New York on Monday, October 7th, 2019. She was 87.

Nancy is survived by seven children: Michael (Judith) of Huntington, NY; Paul (Michele) of Ojai, CA; Lisa (Janet) of Colonie, NY; Mark (Penny) of Great Barrington, MA; Christopher (Kathy) of San Jose, CA; Claire (Adel) of San Jose, CA; and John (Sarah) of Brooklyn, NY; and the father of her children, Charles Gabriel Del Signore. She was predeceased by a daughter, Jean; parents Elkan Gould and Florence Gould; and brothers John and Daniel.

Nancy was a proud grandmother to (deep breath): Justin, Calla, Nathan, Matthew, Jacques, Nolan, Emily, Weston, Emilie, Gwenneth, Clark, & Evelyn!

She is also survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Born and raised in Babylon, Long Island, Nancy graduated from the esteemed St. Vincent's Hospital School of Nursing in Greenwich Village and worked as a registered nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip for many years.

In 1969, Nancy and her growing family relocated from Long Island to Malden Bridge, a small town in Columbia County, New York. There she worked at Barnwell Nursing Home in Valatie, where she eventually served as director of nursing.

In addition to her full time job as a caregiver, Nancy simultaneously raised seven children, cooking and caring for her boisterous brood. Her beef stroganoff was phenomenal, and her chili was world-class. Raising seven children in an 18th century 1.5 bath farmhouse, while holding down a full time job was an enormous task. She provided a shining example for her children of the importance of love, humor, and hard work. 

After retiring from nursing at Barnwell, Nancy continued to work as a drug and alcohol abuse counselor at St. Peter's Addiction Recovery Center, a second career she found deeply fulfilling.

In 1994, Nancy retired to Seminole, Florida, where she savored the warm weather, dips in the Gulf of Mexico, the Salvador Dali museum, and playing golf. It was here on a humble golf course in the Sunshine State that Nancy shot a legendary hole-in-one. She was also a passionate tennis player throughout her life, and kept a close eye on all the major tournaments.

While living in Florida, Nancy was very active in her church, St Justin Martyr, and where she still has many friends.

Nancy loved to travel, and her adventures included trips to Canada, Paris, Italy, Germany, and Egypt, where she rode a camel by the pyramids. She also made memorable sojourns to California to spend time with her beloved west coast children and grandchildren.

In 2013, Nancy returned to upstate New York to be closer to her family and friends in the northeast. She regularly attended mass at Saint Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church in Troy, and most recently was a parishioner at the Church of St. Clare in Colonie. Her Christian faith was very important to her throughout her life.

Nancy was an avid reader—a trait she passed on to her children—and loved bridge, dominoes, scrabble, canasta and a good glass of red wine. She regularly attended the Boston Symphony Orchestra summer performances at Tanglewood, where she could be found on the lawn basking in the music and the natural beauty of the Berkshires. She loved singing and music, and Paul Simon’s “Graceland” album was one of her favorites.

Most of all she loved her children, who will always remember Nancy for her seemingly bottomless well of patience, kindness, enthusiasm, encouragement and love. Their gratitude is beyond words, and her vibrant presence lives on in their hearts.

The family thanks the staff at Millview Assisted Living, Cohoes, for welcoming Nancy into their community, providing excellent care, and being a true home for her.  In addition, the family thanks the staff at the Eddy Heritage House, Troy, for the wonderful care given to Nancy.

A very special thank you to Peg and Carol for being such devoted friends to Nancy for so many years.

The family would appreciate that in lieu of flowers a donation in Nancy’s name be made to the American Diabetes Association and the Alzheimer’s Association.

[LINKS: https://www.diabetes.org/donate/donate-memorial?s_src=AAP190101LXXXXXXXXCC&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0IDtBRC6ARIsAIA5gWss-aVzynfnuCbSRkF-kTd15sGgmZO0Y5dSvixK2ModJFfjfqaZ9j0aAnc4EALw_wcB

https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2?df_id=39209&mfc_pref=T&39209.donation=form1&gclid=CjwKCAjwlovtBRBrEiwAG3XJ-yvTxIdeLFjSnFhLiL4F_CrOlBFeUAQO28RIv1Gi0njVLJNMBh7Z2xoCTycQAvD_BwE