Nancy Fellows

Fellows, Nancy (nee Ill) Passed away August 31, 2025 at the age of 98 .Nancy was born on March 9, 1927 to Herbert and Catherine Ill in Newark, NJ. She was the oldest of four children. Nancy and her younger siblings Martin, Susan and Peter, were raised in Glen Ridge, NJ. She led a privileged life until WW2 when her father went to the Pacific as a front-line doctor and the family had to cope with much less. Nancy attended Glen Ridge High School, graduated in 1946, and then went to Colby Jr. College in New London, NH. She graduated with a degree as a medical secretary which enabled her to work in Mountainside Hospital for the head of the Xray Department. In 1950 Nancy married John C. Fellows, Jr. while Jack was a junior in college. While they lived in Troy, NY she continued working at the Good Samaritan Hospital in the Xray Department supporting him until daughter Susan was born. They moved to Toms River, NJ and she became a full-time homemaker. Nancy and Jack raised four children: Susan, John, Ruth, and Cynthia, all two years apart, while in Toms River where they lived for 20 years. After that, they moved to Island Heights, NJ and built their dream home where they lived for the next 40 years on the bluff overlooking the Toms River. When Jack turned 90, they moved to Harrogate in Lakewood, NJ in 2015. Nancy had roots that ran back to her grandfather, Charles Ill, who had a summer home on the water in Island Heights where she developed a love for sailing, but her first love was downhill skiing. She was also a devoted French horn player, a charter member of the Garden State Philharmonic, volunteered in the emergency and recovery rooms at the local hospital, delivered Meals on Wheels, received phone for a crisis hotline, and attended any opera that she could get to. Later, choral music and the Toms River Presbyterian Church choir became her first love. While being a homemaker 24/7 she also managed to be the first mate on a 40’ ocean racing sailboat, an excellent navigator, and spent 6 weeks on the boat each year with Jack. Traveling with her grandchildren was also one of her greatest joys, especially without their parents. Nancy is survived by her sister Susan Gorham, her sister-in-law Barbara Whittle, her daughter Susan (David, Lynn, Karen), her son John (Laura), her daughter Ruth (Mark, Joshua, Jamie) and her daughter Cynthia (Rob, Beth, Matt) as well as four great grandchildren. She will be fondly remembered and sorely missed. Please, no flowers. Contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice in her honor.

Nancy Fellows

March 9, 1927 - August 31, 2025