Obituary of Nancy Carswell

Nancy Carswell, age 92, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Alpharetta, GA on October 14, 2016. She is predeceased by her husband of 50 years, John Davidson Carswell Jr, and six brothers and four sisters (John Jo, May, Rita, Kay, Miko, Dez, Fred, Sonny, Louie, Sarah) and leaves behind her son John Davidson Carswell III and his wife, Shari, and daughters Margaret Carswell with long time partner Louis Rivers, and Christine Carswell as well as two sisters, Fran in South Carolina and Phil in London, England. Nancy’s early years began in Galway, Ireland in a large and loving Irish family on a farm where they loved to dance, sing, and play cards. She left Ireland to pursue a nursing career in England in the 1940s, during the war. She spent many years in England training and working at King George Hospital, trained to become a labor and delivery nurse as well as a midwife. In the early 1950s she left England and arrived in Detroit, where she continued her nursing career. After some time she then moved to New Jersey and worked at Morristown Memorial Hospital as a Labor and Delivery nurse until she retired in 1988, juggling life as a wife, mother and full-time nurse. She sacrificed much to keep pursuing her passion of nursing, and was an example of a very strong woman to her children. Nancy was a resident of Bernardsville for a better part of 40 years, having settled there with her husband to raise their three children. She was blessed to be nearby two of her sisters in the United States, and with many wonderful friends in and around Bernardsville. She was also active in her church and Morristown Memorial Hospital. After her children found their individual paths in life, Nancy and her husband, John, decided to move to Georgia to be closer with two of her children. The temperate Georgia climate suited Nancy and her gardens flourished in the sunshine year around. During her twenty-two years in Georgia she was fortunate to establish wonderful new friendships with her neighbors and church community. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held Friday, November 4, 2016 at 11am at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian church cemetery, 1 East Oak St, Basking Ridge. A luncheon will follow the service at Dolce Basking Ridge on 300 North Maple Avenue in Basking Ridge. All friends and relatives are warmly welcome. Burial arrangements are being provided by the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church and the Galloway and Crane funeral home in Basking Ridge, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Morristown Memorial Hospital at 100 Madison Avenue, Morristown NJ, 07960.