Obituary
Nancy Rankin, 81 of Wellington, Florida, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by family on Thursday, June 8th, 2023. She leaves behind her mother, Nancy Amaral, her daughters, Christina Young (Scott), Carrie Cohen (Paul) and Nancy Heyer (Chris) and eight grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Anthony Amaral, four dear nieces and a nephew. Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn, and her father, Anthony Amaral. She will be missed by many but particularly, lifelong family friends, The Prices and Cahills and by the wonderful ladies who have cared for her so kindly and patiently over the past year.
Nancy was born in Newport, Rhode Island on the 10th of April, 1942 to Anthony and Nancy Amaral. She remained in Newport throughout her childhood where she attended St. Catherine Academy and then the University of Rhode Island. After working at Raytheon in Portsmouth, she relocated to Chicago, and then San Diego, where she was employed by Union Bank. Her daughters loved to hear the stories about her young adult days as an “independent” woman making her way across the cross country in her little red MG convertible.
In 1973, Nancy, now 31 years old, went to visit her parents who wintered in Palm Beach. Her mom and dad introduced her to Glenn Rankin, a young man they had grown fond of during their annual trips to Florida. The two were married less than a year later and started a family in Glenn’s home state of Kentucky. They were blessed with three girls, to whom Nancy devoted her life. Between volunteering at their small Catholic school, running them around to dance or swim practice and keeping up their modest home, there was little time for her to continue working, so signing up as a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant was a perfect fit. She enjoyed the female camaraderie and as anyone who knew her could tell you, Nancy was a talker, so this made her a very successful consultant! While happy, Nancy missed being near the ocean, so in 1985, her family of five moved to Cape Coral, Florida. As her girls grew and became more active with dance, piano lessons, school clubs and sports, Nancy’s life became even busier but she remained involved with Mary Kay and more importantly with the Catholic Church. She joined the prayer group at St. Andrews and helped with CCD.
The Rankin house was always full. It was filled with chaotic fun, typically an extra child or two, the smell of fresh baked goods or focaccia bread and always love. Nancy’s home was often “grand central station” and that seemed to make her happy. After the girls went off to college and Glenn retired, the couple made their way back to the Palm Beach area in 2002. Again, Nancy made sure to involve herself in the local Catholic Church’s prayer group. Her daughters married and blessed Nancy with 8 grandchildren who became the center of her attention. “Nonnie”, as they called her, set up a crib in their Tequesta home to encourage visits from the grandkids and as they grew older, she was always sure to have a fresh batch of brownies around. Many a trip was taken and many a holiday celebrated with the chaotic love that only a large growing family can offer.
While Nancy had certainly led a life filled with the love of a large family, it seemed to dim in 2017 with the passing of Glenn, her husband of nearly 44 years. She began to struggle more often with back pain and then was diagnosed with a second cancer. She was blessed with the amazing, tender care of Amelia Verlin, Althea Mones, Marie Joseph, Beverly Duncan, Jasmyn Jones and Lupe Zayas as well as the wonderful staff of Trustbridge Hospice. As a believer, she embraced eternal life with our Lord and Savior with joy.