Nancy Phyllis (Tetzlaff) Claypoole, 77, died Nov. 6, 2017, and moved on to heaven after courageously living with a long-term illness.
Nancy lived a full and happy life with her husband, six children and 16 grandchildren. She was born Nov. 17, 1939, in Jersey City, New Jersey, daughter of the late Walter and Mildred (Neuman) Tetzlaff. Nancy spent her childhood years in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and was a graduate of Cornell University (1961), belonging to the Alpha Phi Sorority.
Nancy was happily married to Robert E. Claypoole for 55 years. Together, while raising their children, they lived in Cranford, New Jersey; Barcelona, Spain; Brasschaat, Belgium; Barrington, Illinois; and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, vacationing in Ocean City, New Jersey, almost every summer and traveling to all seven continents and many countries. While living in Barrington, Nancy became licensed and worked as a pharmaceutical technician and volunteered in several activities for St. Anne’s Catholic Church and the Society for the Preservation of Human Dignity (PHD) in Palatine, Illinois, eventually becoming president. After moving to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1998, she dedicated her time to Seymour’s Bookstore at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library, Sawgrass Country Club committees and The Talent Limited Group, and also served as a eucharistic minister at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Ponte Vedra Beach. Nancy grew bountiful gardens, was an amazing cook and a skilled seamstress; she brought excellence and creativity to all her work. She was a loving and caring wife, sister, mom, Nana and friend to the many who had the privilege to know her.
Nancy was the very proud mother of Patricia C. Ninos, N. Catherine Claypoole (Toby Lester), Kimberly C. Farrell (John Farrell), Christine M. Claypoole, Robert E. Claypoole Jr. (Yeli Claypoole) and Michael N. Claypoole (Lauren Claypoole), and the beloved Nana to her 16 grandchildren who will miss her dearly. She is survived by her husband, six children and 16 grandchildren, and by her sister, Patricia (Tetzlaff) Sylvester of Bristol, Rhode Island.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Ponte Vedra Beach. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of the Library Ponte Vedra Beach or the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), which facilitates research on Corticobasal Degeneration Syndrome.
Please visit the online tribute at www.quinn-shalz.com. Services are under the direction and care of Quinn-Shalz Family Funeral Home.
