Nancy McDonnell

Nancy L. McDonnell (nee Shaw), age 85, passed on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Nancy was born in Philadelphia, PA, the only child to the late Nellie and Fred Shaw on April 11, 1938 and was a member of Woodland Baptist Church.

During her childhood, Nancy had a love of tennis and the Girls Scouts. She continued both activities throughout her life. When she was a teenager, she traveled the country for six weeks with her Girl Scout Troop visiting many of the National Parks and Monuments. Her love of all sports developed into a career as a Physical Education Teacher.

Nancy attended Beaver College and eventually earned her Master’s Degree from Montclair State College and became a teacher. One of her first experiences as a teacher was in Wyckoff, NJ.  In New Jersey, she became a member of Preakness Baptist Church in Wayne, as her faith was always the center of her life.

She met and fell in love with fellow Wyckoff  teacher, Gerard McDonnell. They married in 1966. They bought a home in Pequannock to raise their four children.  While Jerry pursued his Doctorate and career advancement, Nancy stayed home with the children. She volunteered for the Pequannock Board of Education, where she ran the physical education programs. She also taught once a week at St. Anthony’s School in Butler. In furthering her own education, she took a class which introduced her to upholstery, which included sewing, one of her favorite hobbies. In her enjoyment of giving an old piece of furniture new life, she started a small business out of her home reupholstering for clients. She combined her love of teaching and this new talent to facilitate expanding upholstery into the adult education program in the local communities. Her clients only came through referrals, as her artistry for the field was remarkable.

She instilled a strong sense of faith and having fun in life by the many family outings including New York Yankees games, holidays with family, visiting the local sights, and the weeks each year in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Later in life she owned property at that beach to continue the tradition of family and fun.

Her hobbies included crafts of all kinds, including making the centerpieces for her daughter's weddings. She also enjoyed cooking, and while looking through recipe books was able to create new dishes that have become family favorites. 

In her later years, she worked at Country Furniture, which became Fireside Furniture. There, she worked part time for the Gift Shop, where she assisted in the staging and decorating of rooms. She worked there for fifteen years, until she turned 80, and enjoyed every moment. 

Through the years while raising their children, Nancy became an important part of Preakness Baptist Church, where she led many Sunday School Classes and began working with the senior congregants. She eventually founded the ‘Young at Heart’ group for the church, in which she ministered to the aging population, ran activities, and even provided in-home services. Another outreach program that she began at Preakness Baptist Church was ‘Soup for the Soul’ that ran each year through the Lenten period to provide spiritual and physical nourishment for the community at large. At that time, she also became a volunteer for the Baptist Home Society in Paterson. It is during these years that her most important friendships were formed. The Baptist Home eventually became The Cliffs at Eagle Rock, where she was a board member for many years.

In 2021, she decided it was her time to make The Cliff’s in West Orange her new home, remaining on the Board of Directors until her passing..

Nancy is survived by her children Margaret (Peggy) Denequolo, Timothy McDonnell, Elizabeth (Betsy) Botbyl, and Amy Meyer, and her sons-in-laws Ronald Denequolo and Ronald Meyer. In addition, she had 6 grandchildren, Douglas Denequolo, Danielle Denequolo, Jerilyn Meyer, Jenifer Meyer, Liam McDonnell and Magdelena McDonnell. She also welcomed a great-grandchild In June 2023, Isabella Denequolo.

Nancy is predeceased by her husband in 1989, Gerard McDonnell, her parents, Nellie and Fred Shaw, and her son-in-law, Todd Botbyl.