Obituary for Nancy Elizabeth Samuelson
Nancy Elizabeth (Blake) Samuelson, 86, of Williamstown, Massachusetts, died peacefully in the early morning hours of September 12, 2020, after an arduous journey with Parkinson’s Disease. Born on December 20, 1933, to Thomas E. and Eulalia E. Blake of Middletown, Connecticut, she was the youngest of three daughters and was named for the town in France where her father, an army lieutenant, was wounded and cared for by a French family during World War I. Nancy’s pride in her heritage was the catalyst for an extensive research project of her family’s genealogy, which she traced back to the 1600s in England. She discovered that her descendants settled in the Boston area in 1630 where The Blake House, now the oldest home in Boston, still stands today as a museum. Nancy was the last of 11 generations of the Blake family in this country.
Nancy first met her future husband, Carl, at a high school dance when she attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Middletown, Connecticut. After graduating from high school, Nancy enrolled at the University of Connecticut while Carl first attended Springfield College and subsequently was drafted to serve in the Army during the Korean War. Upon Carl’s return from the war, Nancy and Carl reconnected and knew, this time, that they were meant to be together for the duration. They were married on September 6, 1958 in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Springfield, where Carl served as the Assistant Swim Coach at Springfield College. In 1966, Carl accepted a position as the Swimming and Diving Coach at Williams College, and they moved to Williamstown, Massachusetts. The mother of three young children, Nancy also became lovingly known as “Mrs. Sam” to hundreds of Williams swimmers and divers during Carl’s tenure at the college over the next three decades, and she and Carl became lifelong friends, confidants and extended family of so many Williams students.
Summers were always a magical time and were spent initially at Pine Knoll Swim School in Springfield, Massachusetts, and then, beginning in 1972, at the Lawrence Beach Club on the south shore of Long Island, New York. There, Nancy joined Carl as a swimming instructor, and she introduced hundreds of young Beach Club members to the joys of swimming over the next twenty-five years. These swimmers and their families became some of Carl and Nancy’s closest friends, and the summers that Nancy and her family spent on Long Island formed the basis of many beautiful memories.
In Williamstown, Nancy acted on her entrepreneurial spirit with her good friend Bodil Wilson and established The Danish Tea Room on Spring Street in the late 1970s. Nancy also occupied an outsized role at the Williams College Health Center, as its medical secretary, where she went the extra mile to make hundreds of Williams students feel nurtured and comforted. Nancy was a voracious reader and a member of several book clubs over the years, and her love of history earned her the Chair of the Williamstown Historical Committee for several years. Nancy and Carl adored their friends and hosted many legendary parties and gatherings throughout the years. They also enjoyed traveling widely to visit friends and family, especially during their retirement. Nancy’s smile and contagious spirit lit up any room, and her words and actions brought warmth, kindness, and compassion wherever she went. Nancy certainly did her part to make the world a better place, and she will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known her.
Nancy is pre-deceased by her parents, Tom and Eulalia Blake, and her two sisters, Anita Blake Smith and June Blake Burr. She is survived by her husband, Carl; their children, Lynn of Meriden, Connecticut, Susan (and fiancé, Henry Zarate) of Vernon, Texas, and Matthew (and wife, Jennifer) of Winhall, Vermont; her sister-in-law, Linda Samuelson of Cromwell, Connecticut; her nieces Candace Burr Wood (and husband, Tim) of Mystic, Connecticut, and Jeanne Smith Bishop (and husband, Arnold) of Portland, Connecticut; her nephews Tom Smith of Cromwell, Connecticut, Hal Burr (and wife, Margo) of Waterford, Connecticut, Eaton Burr (and wife, Erin) of Old Lyme, Connecticut, and Wally Burr (and wife, Wendy) of Tecumseh, Michigan; many cousins, grand-nieces, a grand-nephew, and her grandchildren, Jake, Zack, Emily, Hannah, and Paige.
The family is grateful for the thoughtful care that Nancy received at Sweetwood of Williamstown, as well as Home Instead Senior Care and the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
The family will hold a private burial service on October 17th at the Williams College Cemetery and look forward to hosting a celebration of Nancy’s life once the pandemic has ended. In lieu of flowers, donations in Nancy’s honor may be made to the Carl R. and Nancy B. Samuelson Scholarship at Williams College Office of College Relations, 75 Park Street, Williamstown MA 01267 or give2.williams.edu. or to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
Nancy first met her future husband, Carl, at a high school dance when she attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Middletown, Connecticut. After graduating from high school, Nancy enrolled at the University of Connecticut while Carl first attended Springfield College and subsequently was drafted to serve in the Army during the Korean War. Upon Carl’s return from the war, Nancy and Carl reconnected and knew, this time, that they were meant to be together for the duration. They were married on September 6, 1958 in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Springfield, where Carl served as the Assistant Swim Coach at Springfield College. In 1966, Carl accepted a position as the Swimming and Diving Coach at Williams College, and they moved to Williamstown, Massachusetts. The mother of three young children, Nancy also became lovingly known as “Mrs. Sam” to hundreds of Williams swimmers and divers during Carl’s tenure at the college over the next three decades, and she and Carl became lifelong friends, confidants and extended family of so many Williams students.
Summers were always a magical time and were spent initially at Pine Knoll Swim School in Springfield, Massachusetts, and then, beginning in 1972, at the Lawrence Beach Club on the south shore of Long Island, New York. There, Nancy joined Carl as a swimming instructor, and she introduced hundreds of young Beach Club members to the joys of swimming over the next twenty-five years. These swimmers and their families became some of Carl and Nancy’s closest friends, and the summers that Nancy and her family spent on Long Island formed the basis of many beautiful memories.
In Williamstown, Nancy acted on her entrepreneurial spirit with her good friend Bodil Wilson and established The Danish Tea Room on Spring Street in the late 1970s. Nancy also occupied an outsized role at the Williams College Health Center, as its medical secretary, where she went the extra mile to make hundreds of Williams students feel nurtured and comforted. Nancy was a voracious reader and a member of several book clubs over the years, and her love of history earned her the Chair of the Williamstown Historical Committee for several years. Nancy and Carl adored their friends and hosted many legendary parties and gatherings throughout the years. They also enjoyed traveling widely to visit friends and family, especially during their retirement. Nancy’s smile and contagious spirit lit up any room, and her words and actions brought warmth, kindness, and compassion wherever she went. Nancy certainly did her part to make the world a better place, and she will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known her.
Nancy is pre-deceased by her parents, Tom and Eulalia Blake, and her two sisters, Anita Blake Smith and June Blake Burr. She is survived by her husband, Carl; their children, Lynn of Meriden, Connecticut, Susan (and fiancé, Henry Zarate) of Vernon, Texas, and Matthew (and wife, Jennifer) of Winhall, Vermont; her sister-in-law, Linda Samuelson of Cromwell, Connecticut; her nieces Candace Burr Wood (and husband, Tim) of Mystic, Connecticut, and Jeanne Smith Bishop (and husband, Arnold) of Portland, Connecticut; her nephews Tom Smith of Cromwell, Connecticut, Hal Burr (and wife, Margo) of Waterford, Connecticut, Eaton Burr (and wife, Erin) of Old Lyme, Connecticut, and Wally Burr (and wife, Wendy) of Tecumseh, Michigan; many cousins, grand-nieces, a grand-nephew, and her grandchildren, Jake, Zack, Emily, Hannah, and Paige.
The family is grateful for the thoughtful care that Nancy received at Sweetwood of Williamstown, as well as Home Instead Senior Care and the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
The family will hold a private burial service on October 17th at the Williams College Cemetery and look forward to hosting a celebration of Nancy’s life once the pandemic has ended. In lieu of flowers, donations in Nancy’s honor may be made to the Carl R. and Nancy B. Samuelson Scholarship at Williams College Office of College Relations, 75 Park Street, Williamstown MA 01267 or give2.williams.edu. or to the Parkinson’s Foundation.