Nancy Elizabeth Eldredge

A true Cape Codder, she was born August 7th, 1939 at Cape Cod (cottage) Hospital and raised in Chatham, MA. She was living in Brewster in her last years. Daughter of Everett “Gunny” Raymond Eldredge Jr. and Esther Catherine (Muldowney) Eldredge, she was the eldest of four children, and proud to be the granddaughter of Everett Raymond Eldredge senior, the first chief of police of Chatham.

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She was predeceased by her brothers Michael Samuel Eldredge in 1961 and Jeffrey Francis Eldredge in 2012.

Nancy lovingly leaves behind three children, George “Lee” Hall, Michael Hall, Amy Hall, grandson Alex Cooper, brother, Everett “Hunky” Eldredge, sister-in-law Roberta Eldredge, six nephews and nieces (Jeffrey, Beth, Ethan, Elijah, Sophie, and Jeremiah), one grand-nephew Nesto, and one grand-niece Soleil.

“Nanny” grew up in West Chatham on Oyster River with an abundant wilderness “playground’’ and her family’s boys camp, Camp Malabar. She learned from her own observations, her naturalist dad, and experience with many different types of pets and rescue animals. Nancy loved life and nature. She was proud of her Wampanoag and Penobscot aspects of her ancestry and she learned as much as she could about living in harmony with the earth.

Growing up, Nancy attended school in Chatham until her senior year when she graduated from Holy Cross Academy in 1957 as a “vivacious girl of contrast talented with a paint brush, entertainer ‘juggling lobsters’ and as a singer.” She attended Framingham State Teachers College in Massachusetts from ’57 to ’58, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from ’58 to ’59, and Pittsburgh Playhouse School of The Theatre from 59’ to ’60 also in Pennsylvania.

She married in 1960 to Arthur "Skip" Hall and resided in Winchester and Chatham MA until her divorce seven years later. She was a loving and special mom to her three kids and spent many summers exploring Cape Cod, New Hampshire and Maine together.

Nancy continued her education taking courses in personal psychology and Hatha Yoga in the 70’s, and began learning about and consuming natural and organic foods. After her children were older and in school, she went back into the work force. Some of the many different kinds of jobs she had were: teacher’s aide at a public school, house painting, fish net repair, and set painting for the The Nutcracker ballet. She worked at Boston’s Children’s Museum, Classroom Earth School for Planetary Stewardship in Harwich, and began at Plimouth Plantation in 1996 as an interpreter and reproduction artisan.

With her friend Linda Coombs, she taught Eastern Sky Native Arts - providing various programs in school classrooms around the state.

From the 1980’s until 2004 Nancy was a dancer and singer with the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers who brought programs to schools and performed for many organizations and celebrations.

She even had other various jobs, but her life’s calling was to teach children how we are all deeply connected to mother earth, and ultimately dependent upon her. Her last job was at Plimouth Plantation as the Education Manager for the Wampanoag Indigenous Program. If you visited Plimouth Plantation between 1980 and 2004 you may have seen her appearing in traditional Wampanoag dress at "Hobomock's Homesite".

In addition to her regular “work” she created and presented various children’s and teachers’ workshops, narrated programs such as “You are the Historian” for the WIP on the plantation’s website, acted in the interactive drama “A Dreadful Judgement” (for schools, organizations, and the United Nations in New York), participated in many video interviews such as Bride Media International’s film on the King Phillip’s War, and appeared in PBS’s series Colonial House when the Wampanoag visit the colonists. Even after “retirement” she still taught a few workshops at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

She was loved by virtually everyone and will be greatly missed.

We welcome you to share your expressions of sympathy and fond memories of Nancy. Just click on the “ADD A MEMORY” button below.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project at https://www.wlrp.org. (“Wôpanâak” is the language’s spelling of the English version “Wampanoag”)

And, as a transplant recipient, Nancy would appreciate people to become organ donors. Thank-you.

A Celebration of Nancy's Life will be held in West Chatham for family, friends, and cohorts etc. This will take place at the Chatham VFW Brown James Buck Post 8607 (150 George Ryder’s Road) on Sunday September 26th from 2:30-5:30. This will be mostly an outdoor event with inside space. Dress Code: Just be comfortable and be yourself. Masks are welcome.

Directions:

Take Exit 85 Chatham Brewster (old exit 11) off of the mid-cape highway (route 6). Off the exit ramp, turn left onto Route 137 (Brewster-Chatham Rd). Turn left onto Old Queen Anne Road. Turn right to stay on Old Queen Anne Road. Turn right onto George Ryder’s Road. The Chatham Municipal Airport will be on your left and just passed it, also on the left, is the Chatham VFW Brown James Buck Post 8607. Look for their brand new sign – brown with gold letters. Handicap parking is to the right, all others park to the left of the building please.