Sanford, Nan
By Canton CitizenNan Sanford of Exeter, New Hampshire, died peacefully on April 13, 2022.
Born Catherine Ann Curran in North Adams on January 17, 1925, Nan lived a happy 97 years filled with friends, family, Airedales and adventure. Nan was the oldest of seven children born to Bernice O’Brien Curran and Dr. William L. Curran and grew up in Stamford, VT. Known for her integrity and common-sense approach to life, she will be missed for her wise words and friendship.
Nan was quick to volunteer her help knitting caps for newborns, working for the West Windsor (VT) Volunteers in Action, leading groups of Camp Fire Girls in Canton, helping organize the Five Colleges Book Sale in Hanover, NH, serving on her Wellesley College Alumni Club and the Airedale Club of New England. She was a loyal member of the Knitwits, a group from her teenage years in Stamford, VT, initially organized around knitting, but developing into deep, lifelong friendship. Nan was the last surviving member of the Knitwits.
As a girl, Nan attended the Stamford, VT Center School and graduated from Drury High School in nearby North Adams in 1942. She attended Wellesley College, graduating in 1946. She went on to earn a certificate in medical technology in 1947 from Simmons College, then worked for the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury, VT in the late 1940s. While her children were young, Nan opened a pioneering nursery school/kindergarten in her home in Canton, which served neighborhood children in the 1950s. She went on to work for the Greater Boston Council of Camp Fire Girls for 10 years in the 1960s and 70s, and then for the Old Colony YMCA in Brockton from 1980-85.
She loved her family and friends and was the organizing force behind family reunions. She enjoyed sewing, knitting, gardening, and raising Airedale Terriers with her late husband, Dennis Sanford, at their small farm in East Bridgewater. She was a tremendous cook and taught her children and grandchildren how to bake bread and make delicious pies using the apples, raspberries and rhubarb from their Brownsville, VT gardens. Post-retirement, she and Dennis sailed the British Virgin Islands on their boat, The Sea Venture, and spent winters on Beef Island, Tortola.
Nan is survived by her daughters, Susan Murphy of Portland, ME, and Janice Higgins of Hadley; her son, Michael Gangemi III of Cohasset; her grandchildren, Caitlin (Murphy) Dyer of Red Hill, Australia; Devin Murphy of Los Angeles, CA; Lyle Gangemi and Michael Gangemi IV, both of Cambridge; and Julia Gangemi of New York, NY; great-grandchildren, Charlie Dyer and Lydia Dyer of Red Hill, Australia; her sisters, Sally Smith of Greensboro, VT, and Sandy Johnson of Ludlow, VT; and her brothers, James Curran of Stamford, VT, and Edward Curran of Williamsburg, VA; as well as many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister Mary Jane Green, brother Dr. William Curran, first husband Michael Gangemi, Jr., and husband Dennis Sanford.
A memorial service is planned. The family would appreciate contributions in Nan’s memory to Wellesley College, Class of 1946; the Airedale Club of New England; or Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=86402
Posted by Canton Citizen
on May 12 2022. Filed under Obituaries.
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