Nancy Morrison Scurlock

The long, fascinating life of Nancy Morrison Scurlock, 92, ended at her home in Seattle, Washington on November 4, 2023. Her daughters were by her side. Nancy was born on November 10, 1930 in Washington, DC to mechanic William Robert Morrison of Kentucky and homemaker Mary Ellen Ainsworth Morrison of Northern England. A graduate of Fairfax High School in Virginia, Nancy worked hard to send herself to Radford College in southwest Virginia where she excelled at English and earned a degree in Secondary Education. Nancy often recalled the seminal role a female mentor played in nurturing her collegiate ambitions.

A skilled seamstress, Nancy dressed for success and was employed in numerous capacities as a young woman. Early jobs at G.C. Murphy’s five & dime gave way to glamorous positions in New York City at Vogue Magazine and in Washington DC at the Pentagon, General Dynamics and lastly Atlantic Research Corporation.

Given her remarkable beauty and quick wit, Nancy received at least a dozen proposals but married only twice. In 1953, Nancy wed screenwriter Ernest W. “Nick” Yonick, Jr., father of Nancy’s first daughter. In 1962, Nancy married Arch Chilton Scurlock. Dr. Scurlock was the Founder and President of the Atlantic Research Corporation. ARC was a pioneer space ordnance company and at one time the largest private employer in the Washington area. The couple were blessed with three more daughters.

A highly competent office manager, Nancy transferred these skills to the running of large households in Virginia and Bermuda.

Nancy was a gregarious and generous person who took a keen interest in other people. Her winning smile and knack for conversation put everyone at ease. She had many devoted friends from coast-to-coast, including in her beloved Bermuda.

She is remembered as having a great flair for entertaining, fashion and interior decorating. She enjoyed creating beautiful domestic surroundings and carried on her mother’s extremely high housekeeping standards. She was an avid reader and enjoyed learning about etymology and the history of idiomatic expressions, as well as about politics and current events.

Nancy was a loving, affectionate and empathetic mother and grandmother.

Nancy was preceded in death by her first husband Nick Yonick in 1976, her husband Arch Chilton Scurlock in 2002, her brother George Robert Morrison in 2019 and her stepson Marvin Curtis Scurlock in 2012.

Nancy is survived by her younger sister Mary Ellen Morrison Stalvey of Fredericksburg, VA, and by daughters Tracey Ainsworth Yonick (Richard Lane) of Seattle, WA; Mary Scurlock Adamson (Peter) of Portland, OR; Nancy Scurlock Collins (Michael) of Woodstock, VT and Tucker’s Town, Bermuda; and Margaret Ann Scurlock of New York, NY. She is also deeply mourned by eight grandchildren: Nicholas Madison Lane (Rachel) of Palm Springs, CA; Colby Scurlock Adamson of New York, NY; Amelia Chase Adamson (Sam Selig) of Oslo, Norway; Madeleine Collins Chenoweth (Keith) of London, England; Emily Weld Collins of New York, NY; Deirdre Janeway Collins of Boston, MA; and twins James Morrison Collins (Sarah Jane) and William Scurlock Collins both of Bermuda. Two step-children and two step-grandchildren survive her. They are Arch Chilton Scurlock, Jr. of Annandale, VA, Susan Scurlock Theiler (Mike) of Alexandria, VA, and the children of her step-son Marvin, Aaron Michael Scurlock of Fairfax, VA and Alysia Desbiens (Shawn Thompson) of Vienna VA and their children. Nancy also had one new great-grandchild, Celine Weld Chenoweth, born in 2023.

Services are being planned at a later date to take place at the Little White Chapel of the Annandale Methodist Church in Annandale, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys in Washington, DC or the Seattle Opera Guild.

Arch C. Scurlock obituary: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/12/14/arch-c-scurlock-82/8436e7c0-f14f-44a2-9c15-28caf8f28045/

Numerous articles about Dr. Scurlock and his companies appeared in Washington, DC press especially in the 1960s.

Forbes Magazine profiled him as an “Egghead Millionaire” in 1960: http://www.newspapers.com/image/24679308

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared below for the family.