CAMBRIDGE, Mass., and BLUE HILL – Nancy Sage Pyle Butler, 89, died peacefully Friday, May 28, 2010, surrounded by family at home in Cambridge, Mass., after a brief illness. Nancy was born June 27, 1920, in New York City, the second child of Dr. Edwin and Annette Mackay Pyle. Her childhood years were spent in New York City and Waterbury, Conn. She was educated at Wykeham Rise School and Bryn Mawr College. After graduation she returned to New York City to work at the New York Daily News. During that period she married Vaughan Kendall, a B-26 pilot. Barely two years later, shortly after his return from a 14-month deployment, Vaughan died quite suddenly from polio. Nancy retreated to her family’s home in Blue Hill to teach at George Stevens Academy. It was there that she met Tony Butler, her devoted partner for life. It was love at first sight, and they were married six weeks later, Dec. 14, 1946. Nancy and Tony were inseparable for the next 63 years, traveling the world and making friends from Australia to England, from Maine to Florida and California, sharing a genuine curiosity for different cultures and a passion for golf. Blue Hill always occupied a very special place in their lives. Last year they granted a conservation easement on their field to preserve a wonderful water view for the town in perpetuity. Although she never had children of her own, Nancy maintained an intense interest in the lives of each of her 16 nieces and nephews, their children and their children’s children. She lived her life by a very practical and unwavering moral compass, with strong views on subjects ranging from conservative politics to gold investments. For more than 20 years, Nancy and Tony provided a home away from home for scores of international Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University students from the United Kingdom and Australia. Nancy was active in United Way Charities and League of Women Voters, Cambridge, Mass. She was on the board of the Boston Bryn Mawr chapter. She served as head of Cambridge Republican Committee and on the board of Middlesex Community College. Nancy was predeceased by her sister, Eileen of Falmouth; and her brothers, Edwin of Boxford, Mass., and Hugh of Weston, Mass. She is survived by her beloved husband, Tony of Cambridge, Mass.; by her sister, Julie of Blue Hill; and by innumerable family and friends whose lives were so enriched for having known this elegant woman. The family has planned services in Boston and Blue Hill to celebrate her life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to Blue Hill Heritage Trust, P.O. Box 222, Blue Hill, ME 04614, info@bhhtmaine.org or Bryn Mawr College, 101 North Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899, https://secure.bryn-mawr. edu/campaign/.
NANCY SAGE PYLE BUTLER
