Nancy T. Waters

Nancy Therese Waters passed peacefully on Monday, July 24, 2023 at her home in Cranford, NJ with her son and daughter-in-law by her side. She was born on January 20, 1933 and raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts with wonderful parents and a loving younger sister, Barbara, who currently resides in Natick, Mass.

Nancy attended Saint Gregory’s School in Dorchester, Mass from kindergarten through high school.  In grammar school she met her lifelong girlfriends, who she’d still meet with on an annual basis for her girls’ gone wild weekends and truly enjoyed keeping all those childhood memories alive.

After high school, Nancy was a court stenographer in the Boston Courthouse.  While working there, she would tell some gossip worthy stories of encounters with JFK and President Truman. 

Although she’d always consider Massachusetts her home, her marriage of 54 years brought her to New Jersey in 1962 which became her second home.  Here she would meet more lifelong friends including the ever-present Nancy Niemsyk. They would spend hours together at the Cranford pool with children in tow, supporting each other and laughing out loud. 

Her greatest joy in life was being surrounded by her 6 children, Susan Scott, Caroline Harrington, Sheila Brown, Beth Gall, Megan Decker and Sean Waters, along with their spouses, 19 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren (soon to be 5).  Each year she and her husband would graciously host a summer beach vacation for all and truly relished in this gathering.

She was very proud to have reached her 90th birthday. In a well-deserved proper fashion, it lasted for the entire month of January with weekly visitors, balloons and activities into the wee hours of the “late” afternoon.  Her loving sister and brother-in-law along with her three beautiful nieces filled her home with flowers and gifts which added to the merriment.

In this last year Nancy met an amazing woman, Norma who cared for her daily with such heartfelt compassion. She was touched by the Eucharist ministers that came weekly to her home, as she greatly missed attending Saint Helen’s weekly mass. The meals provided by Cranford Family Care along with the caring delivery people brightened her days. 

Nancy is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Donald Devine. She made sure to stay in touch with his siblings and loved hearing updates on the extended Waters clan. Her family and all who were blessed to know and love her will miss and remember her always. 

Friends and family are invited to attend a Mass at Saint Helen Church, Westfield NJ at 11:30 am on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.  Visitation is scheduled for Monday, July 31, 2023 from 5:00-9:00 at Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home, 582 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, NJ. http://www.higginsandbonner.com.