It is beyond belief that I must say goodbye to my sister Nancy's physical presence on earth. From my earliest memory she has always been there. Beautiful, brilliant, creative, caring, funny, energetic, generous, kind, thoughtful, connected, "woke" .. so much more.
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Obituary
Nancy Jane Rachman
March 5, 1947 – September 9, 2024
Nancy Jane Rachman, born in Philadelphia, PA, on March 25, 1947, passed away on September 9, 2024, at the age of 77. She was the daughter of Ruth and Isadore Rachman, both deceased
Nancy displayed extraordinary intellect and leadership from an early age. She consistently excelled academically throughout her schooling, serving as a leader in student government, and earning distinctions such as National Merit Scholar and Magna Cum Laude. She was the first in her family to attend college and went on to earn her PhD in Biology from Princeton University.
Nancy’s career was marked by a passion for science and environmental advocacy. She began her professional life researching insect neurophysiology, focusing on natural insect control approaches. Over time, her interests evolved to more applied science in Environment and Public Health, and she became an expert in exposure assessment, risk assessment, safety evaluation, toxicology, and science policy. Throughout her distinguished career, she held senior executive roles at American Cyanamid, ENVIRON, Dole Food, Exponent, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association, and the International Life Sciences Institute. She travelled globally for her work, and over the course of her life resided in New York City, Princeton, NJ, Amherst, MA, Austin, TX, Los Angeles, CA, and ultimately the Washington, DC area, where she retired and lived until her passing.
Nancy’s passions extended far beyond her professional achievements. She possessed an insatiable intellectual curiosity, which led her to explore a wide range of scientific, societal, and cultural issues. She held a deep love for all things scientific, the arts, gardening, and food. In her youth, she studied classical and modern dance, participated in theatrical productions, and continued singing in vocal groups throughout her life up through the end. She read voraciously, and enjoyed theatre, music, museums, and gardens, and followed world events closely. She had an intensely creative spirit expressed in designing abstract fiber art pieces, clothing and household items, her joy in home design, in her prolific professional writing. and reflected in her intense interest in art history. She took great pride in her work as a volunteer docent for the Smithsonian Institute.
Nancy is survived by her brother, Fred, and his partner, David Ley, her cousins Steve, Neal, Ronald, Howard, and Bruce Gallop, Fred and Bruce Zafran, and her long-term companion Bob (Orlo) Ehart, along with a wide circle of loving friends who cherished her warmth, generosity, her wit and her ability to bring people together.
A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held through various events throughout the coming months. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to causes reflective of her interest in science, the arts, social justice and human welfare.
Saying Goodbye
Memorial events: For those not familiar with the tradition of Shiva, Shiva means "seven" in Hebrew, and refers to the seven-day mourning period traditional in Judaism. Shiva begins immediately following the burial and lasts for seven days, ending after the morning service on the seventh day. While traditionally held in the home of mourners recognized in Jewish faith, which in this case is just me, I want to include all of her loved ones in the ritual, and have offered opportunity for volunteers to host a day, For some this may be only virtual, or some may choose to include an in person gathering in the location of their choice. While tradition limits us to seven days, please feel free to host your own events to say goodbye in your own way.
Shiva interestingly enough is also a major god in Hinduism, who is known as the destroyer and the creator of all things.. Shiva is also part of the holy trinity (trimurti) with Brahma and Vishnu, who are the creator and the preserver of the world respectively.. Shiva is a complex and benevolent god, who is massociated with time, rebirth, protection and auspiciousness. I add this to emphasize that to me this virtual shiva is a spiritual and not religious ritual, and hope that you all would feel welcome and comfortable in sharing
The first event will be in person in Rockville at Seasons 52 (11414 Rockville Pike) on Thursday evening from 5:30 pm to 8pm
Additional events will be hosted virtually by friends and family across the country via Zoom. Watch for more details and events here
Gallery
Videos
Memory wall
Nancy and I befriended each other a decade ago as Smithsonian volunteers. Her warm outreach to all, her great enthusiasm dealing with young people, and her continuous love for orchids, butterflies, and heartfelt, intensive discussions with all of us will be missed. We loved her and will hold her light in our hearts.
I hope this poem reaches you with some comfort. The tributes on her memory wall are beautiful. May her memory be eternal.
Patty Rourke
Maythese words bring comfort…
By Rabindranath Tagore
It was beautiful as long as it lasted
The journey of my life.
I have no regrets whatsoever
Save the pain I'll leave behind.
Those dear hearts who love and care
And the strings pulling at the heart and soul.
The strong arms that held me up
When my own strength let me down.
At every turning of my life
I came across good friends.
Friends who stood by me,
Even when the time raced me by.
Farewell, farewell, my friends I smile and bid you goodbye.
No, shed no tears for I need them not All I need is your smile.
If you feel sad do think of me
For that's what I'll like
When you live in the hearts of those you love, remember then, you never die.
be missed, I always enjoyed that when she went to
lunch with us she would encourage us to try somewhere
different and new. My condolences to Nancy's family
and friends.
Nancy Ryan
Although there were long periods of time during which I didn’t see Nancy, we did stay in touch. Nancy and I were in the same career fields. I too studied Environmental Science with a focus on public health risk assessment. One related story of remembrance that I might share. I was attending a conference in Hawaii to present a paper at the Society of Risk Analysis. To my surprise, Nancy was also in attendance. I had brought only suits to the conference, and I looked very formal and stuffy as I presented my paper. When I returned to my hotel room later that day, I found on the desk, a beautiful Hawaii shirt and a nice pair of shorts with a note and a little heart from Nancy. Such beautiful loving kindness.
I look at pictures of Nancy (particularly those taken in her younger years), and I see the face of my mother Esther and our grandmother Emma. The Rachman lineage, so strong and beautiful. My heartfelt condolences to Fred, David, Bob and our Rachman relatives.
Finally, just a short message. I am still with you Nancy, sending you my love and heartfelt gratitude, in this transition beyond our mortal realm.
Fred, your beautifully written tribute captures the essence of your love and admiration of a vibrant, talented, living life to the fullest human, your big sister. Take comfort in the fact that you will always know what Nancy would have said, or smiled or laughed at, or enjoyed sharing with you. She is forever in your heart and mind. May you find peace at this difficult time. Desmond, Max, and I send you our deepest sympathies.
with love,
Karen Kramer-Ley
Nancy and I could go for quite a while without speaking, but when we did reconnect the conversation was always fun, lively, and interesting. Despite various health problems in her later years, she somehow always managed to be upbeat and positive.
I’m grateful that by coincidence I happened to be passing through Bethesda just a few months ago, and was able to visit Nancy and share dinner and stimulating conversation. I foolishly imagined that the opportunity to do so would continue forever, and I’m still not sure I believe it’s gone.
If it were possible to describe Nancy in a single word, that word might be ‘humble.’ I’ve know her all my life, but never learned until now that she held a PhD from Princeton.
Perhaps we can all draw strength from the words of another doctor: “Do not cry because it’s over. Smile, because it happened.”
I hope I can do that.
Rest in peace, my cousin and friend.
Nancy’s wit and humor is infectious and good spirited.
oxox Catherine
Nancy will do the same in the next stop on her journey!
Love to Orlo and Nancy, and all of Nancy’s friends and family,
Renee and Dave Knorr
She has been part of my life, my family for almost 40 years.
I remember first meeting her at her little house in Alexandria. Fred and I had recently come together as a male couple and I was as it was at the time, hypersensitive to the impression that this might have on Fred's family. Nancy was immediately warm and welcoming to me. A big hug and cheerful curiosity about me and who I was that allowed me to easily feel at home with her.
Right from the start, we had a compassionate understanding of the love we felt for her little brother and developed a partnership over the years to support him through the challenges that he encountered in the world and presented to us.
Nancy was so bright and engaging and we shared and shaped a common view of the world we lived in. This was challenging, most often we agreed, but not always but our discussions, the books we shared, the movies we viewed and the crises we passed through helped me strengthen and grow. I will miss that but will find a way to honor it and keep it alive.
Nancy helped me connect to her wonderful family and was key in connecting them to each other. For her sake and for our continuing love of her, I will help Fred maintain these connections.to our families and to all her friends.
I invite others to share their memories of Nancy on this wall. Fred and I would so appreciate it.
Although i will never again get to hug her, share a meal, visit a museum, travel together, chat on the phone, visit/plan gardens, trade recipes or movies or books, try to give each other advice, laugh and cry together, she is forever part of me in the dNA we share and coded in my neurons through a lifetime of experience. Please help me continue to discover her, and share her with others by contributing your memories and images in this site.
Events - details on upcoming events
