Nancy T. Sykes

Nancy Tripner Sykes passed away peacefully in the early morning of Wednesday November 27, 2019, while in hospice care at the Masonicare Health Center in Wallingford, CT.  Born in Chester, PA on February 8, 1927, Nancy was the daughter of the late Curtis George Tripner and Helen Lutes Tripner.  She was the beloved wife of the late Richard C. Sykes; loving sister of Carol Midgley and her husband David of Valley Forge, PA; and of the late Curtis L. (Sonny) Tripner, who passed away as a small child.  Devoted mother of the late Richard C. Sykes, Jr., his widow Phyllis, and his first wife Kathie; and Robert C. Sykes and his wife Dorothy.  Nancy’s pride and joy are her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She was the dear grandmother of Richard C. Sykes III and his wife Dawn, Melissa A. Puopolo and her husband David, Brian R. Sykes and his wife Wendy, Douglas C. Sykes and his wife Lauren, and Robert L. Sykes and his wife Veronica.  Loving great-grandmother to Riley Sykes, Alex Puopolo, Samantha Sykes, Benjamin Puopolo, Nathan Sykes, Matthew Puopolo, Eli Sykes, Rosemary Sykes, and Leo Sykes.  Nancy was also the loving aunt to very many nieces and nephews.

Nancy liked to say that she was “propelled by curiosity.”  She was always engaged in a never ending quest for knowledge, learning, and understanding until the end of her life.  Nancy had great empathy for everyone in her family, people in general, and all living things.  She and her late husband Richard loved to travel and experience new and different locales.

Nancy attended the University of Pennsylvania, and worked in a chemistry laboratory at DuPont for a time, and then raised her family.  Later, at various times during her career, she worked as a substitute teacher in West Haven, for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and for SAAB.  Nancy was a very active member of the Institute for Learning in Retirement Inc. (ILR), a volunteer at the Case Memorial Library in Orange, and a volunteer at the hospice center within the Masonicare Health Center.  She most recently lived in Ashlar Village in Wallingford before her recent illness.

A memorial service for Nancy will be held at Ashlar Village, 74 Cheshire Road, Wallingford, CT in Auditorium A at 11:00 AM on Saturday December 14, 2019.

Nancy’s family would like to thank Ashlar Village and the Masonicare Health Center for the excellent quality of life Nancy had when healthy, and the excellent care at the end of her life.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Nancy’s name to the Case Memorial Library, 176 Tyler City Road, Orange, CT 06477, or to a charity of one’s choice.

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