Obituary: Nancy J. Shugrue, 1945 - 2023

Mrs. Nancy J Shugrue, of Nantucket, the loving wife of the late John J. Shugrue, died peacefully on Thursday, December 14th, 2023.

Born on October 15, 1945, in Teaneck NJ, Nancy was the daughter of the late Barbara Holdgate, Francis Holdgate, and James Wilson. She and her six siblings were raised and educated on Nantucket, where she was a graduate of Nantucket High School. Nancy was known for her talkativeness and friendliness to all her classmates. She continued her education at Katherine Gibbs.

Nancy met a young man by the name of John Shugrue who was doing a surveying project on Nantucket and they created a wonderful life and family together. Family was the focus of Nancy’s life and she always had an open door for friends and family. Visits were always met with a chatty welcome and usually a plate of cookies.

Nancy was very proud to be so intertwined with her community of Nantucket and living there was a huge part of her identity. From the age of three, she was a part of the fabric of Nantucket and through the years had various jobs that put her out in the community engaging with people including running an ice cream truck and driving a taxi cab. Nancy drew people in with her chatty and open personality and loved sharing her local knowledge with friends old and new.

Nancy was the glue of the family, offering her home in Nantucket to any family or friends visiting. Nancy was amazing at keeping in touch and always made the effort to connect with everyone including her sisters Barbara Baker (Austin, TX) Suzy Kane (Tenants Harbour, ME), Penny Altberg (Littleton, CO), Laurie Cook (Post Falls, ID), Frances Holdgate (Tenants Harbour, ME) and brother Frank Holdgate (Harpswell, ME) as well as sister in law Virginia Fruh (Newburyport, MA).

Nancy’s greatest accomplishment was her family and she loved her daughter Jen Shugrue of Nantucket and her son Dan Shugrue and his wife Carey of Topsfield, MA. Nancy (aka Mimi) is survived by her 6 grandchildren, Emma and Hannah Pykosz, Ian Williams, and Cooper, Brady, and Ben Shugrue

Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of Nancy’s life which will be on Nantucket on Saturday, June 1st . Details to follow. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Meals on Wheels.