Nancy Elizabeth Frangione

HYANNIS—Nancy Elizabeth Frangione, 70, a longtime resident of Centerville, MA, died on Friday, August 18th, after a brief illness. She was born July 10th, 1953, at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis to the late Louis N. (Dusty) and Doris G. (Baker) Frangione.

Nancy graduated from Barnstable High School in 1971, where she performed in many plays and musicals and competed in the Speech and Debate League, where she was a national runner-up in Dramatic Interpretation. She attended Barry College in Florida before arriving in New York, beginning a many years-long career in TV and theater. She lived and worked in both New York City and Los Angeles before returning to Cape Cod.

At age 21, she made her professional debut on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater alongside Sir Alec McGowan and Anthony Perkins in Equus. From there, she was cast in the daytime soap opera All My Children as Tara. She later went on to star as Cecile DePoulignac for many years on the daytime TV show Another World. While on that show, she met and married Christopher Rich. They had one daughter, Mariel Rich.

Nancy loved gardening, antiques, reading, movies, politics and astrology. She had a beautiful singing voice. She was an advocate of holistic medicine and a seeker of knowledge. She had a great sense of humor, and her hearty laughter was always present at family gatherings.

She is survived by her four sisters: Kerry Lombardi of New Bedford, Lisa Frangione of Centerville, Jackie Quint (and husband Jon) of Sandwich, and Stacey Horton (and ex-husband Sidney) of Yarmouth, her brother Jim Frangione (and wife Anne O’Dwyer) of Housatonic, ex-husband Christopher Rich of Los Angeles and her beloved daughter Mariel Rich of Seattle. Nancy is also survived by her many nieces and nephews whom she loved: Jessica, Jason, Kathryn, and Eva Lombardi; Louis, Gina and Nicole Frangione; Abby and Ben Quint; and Will and Olivia Horton. She had many close Cape cousins, including the Terrio and Baker families of Yarmouth.

She is predeceased by two brothers, Michael P. and Stephen D. Frangione.

She will be dearly missed. The family is planning a Memorial to be held at a later date.