Nancy Brown (Gaspar) graduated in 1989 from MVRHS. In her yearbook photo caption, she says she wants to be a nurse. After graduation, Nancy had been accepted, and was ready to go to Northeastern University for that nursing degree. However, she was discouraged from doing so, and instead ended up working off-Island. She was told that she did not really need college. She would have been the first in her family to go to college.
But Nancy never gave up her dream of nursing. She was a natural caregiver, helping to raise her three sisters from an early age. After a series of jobs both off- and on-Island, she was married and raising her two boys. Nancy chose to do private-duty care on-Island. She loved it. She was getting her caring career in a different way through working with the Visiting Nurse Association. No, sadly, she never completed her nursing degree — at least not yet? However, I would not put it past her.
Now Nancy has truly served our community for more than 15 years as a personal caregiver. She always makes you laugh and smile as she goes about her caring and nursing. I saw this gift firsthand when she cared for my husband’s mom, Dee, in her last days. What a gift she is, not only for our elderly population but for our community. Thank you, Nancy, for serving us, and we celebrate you.
This is an ongoing series that will be published in The Times. Marge Harris was a teacher at MVRHS for 27 years. She lives in Oak Bluffs. You can contact her at margeharris@comcast.net.
