Obituary: Nancy Small
Nancy Small, a lifelong Shapleigh resident, certified emergency medical technician, accomplished sailor, and Bridge Grand Master, died on July 13, 2026, at the age of 96. She passed away peacefully in the early morning hours while living at Avita of Wells.
Small was born on April 19, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York, to Dorothy "Dot" and Morris "Dutch" Rechtweg, at the start of the Great Depression. In 1936, when Nancy was six years old, her father was killed in an automobile accident in New York City. She, her twin sister Sue, and her younger sister Jane were raised by their mother in the years that followed. As soon as they were old enough, the girls took on substantial responsibilities at home, cooking, cleaning, shopping for groceries, and caring for the family horse, Wonder, which family members said helped Nancy become a skilled equestrian.
On New Year's Eve 1949, at 19 years old, she married Ronald J. Small at St. Patrick's Church in Huntington, New York. The couple began their family in Centerport, Long Island, in the spring of 1951 with the birth of their son Stephen, followed just over a year later by their daughter Cynthia.
In the fall of 1955, Ron's job brought the family to Springvale, Maine. There, Nancy met Jean Thayer, who became her closest lifelong friend and introduced the Smalls to alpine skiing. Nancy took to the sport enthusiastically, spending weekends at Bond Mountain in Shapleigh, where the family built friendships that endured for decades.
By the spring of 1956, the family had moved to Mistletoe Farm in Alfred, where their third child, Thomas, was born. A job change took the family back to Huntington, New York, in December 1963. Two more children followed: Andrew in 1965 and Amy Jean in 1967, completing the family.
When Ron retired early from Grumman Aircraft in 1977, the family settled permanently at a property on Square Pond, which they had originally purchased in 1958 as a summer getaway. Over time, the camp was expanded and became one of the first year-round homes on Square Pond. Nancy and Ron shared countless adventures there with their two youngest children, while the older three continued to visit throughout their lives.
After Ron's death in 2008, Nancy remained at the Square Pond home with her two golden retrievers, managing the household on her own terms. She achieved the rank of Bridge Grand Master and continued a golf career she had taken up later in life, winning a state tournament title and several club championships at Sanford Country Club.
Nancy served the Shapleigh Rescue Squad as a certified emergency medical technician for 37 years, earning formal commendation for her service. In 2019, she was named Grand Marshal of the Shapleigh Days parade and was also nominated for the Jefferson Award, an honor widely known as the "Nobel Prize for public service" that recognizes both national figures and grassroots community heroes.
She was a lifelong knitter, and every child, grandchild, and great-grandchild in the family is said to treasure at least one of her handmade creations. At the family's Christmas swap, relatives long hoped Nancy would be their assigned "Santa," knowing it meant a new knitted gift was on the way. She and Ron also shared a love of square dancing, traveling widely to events in dresses Nancy sewed by hand, outfits that, according to the family, consistently drew attention.
Nancy served as Ron's first mate both in life and on the water. The couple raced their sailboat together for more than 50 years, competing in national championships and Atlantic Coast regattas up and down the East Coast, and racking up numerous victories with the Square Pond Yacht Club, where they more often than not crossed the finish line first.
She was predeceased by her parents and her two sisters.
Nancy is survived by her five children: Stephen and his wife Paula of Lyme, New Hampshire; Cynthia and her partner George A. Boone of Springvale; Thomas and his wife Pamela of Shapleigh; Andrew and his wife Jillian of North Granby, Connecticut; and Amy Jean and her husband Grant of York. She is also survived by grandchildren Ryan Small, Jillian Reeder, Patrick Small, Jessica Zeldner, Risa Kostis, Gina Lilley, Joseph Small, Lauren Small, Taylor Small, Cameron Small, Matthew Small, Olivia Fitzsimmons, Max Fitzsimmons, Marlow Hubbard, and Lillian Hubbard, as well as seven great-grandchildren: Savannah, Olivia, Wyatt, Sawyer, Sammy, Dutch, and Stevie.
Nancy will be interred alongside Ron at the Square Pond home in a private family ceremony held on or around the first anniversary of her passing, with details to be shared next spring.
Arrangements are under the direction of Black Heald and Walker Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Sanford-Springvale. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made in Nancy's memory to the Shapleigh Rescue Squad, in honor of her decades of service.
