Nancy G. Sills

SALISBURY — Nancy G. Sills, 82, died Feb. 22, 2012, at Noble Horizons. An avid gardener, hiker, homemaker, mother and wife, she was a lifelong resident of Connecticut. Born in New Canaan on Oct. 27, 1929, the daughter of Howard E. and Mary S. Grupe, Nancy graduated from New Canaan High School. She attended the University of Connecticut, where she rode horses, participated in riding competitions and won an award for horsemanship. In 1950, she married her college sweetheart, Norm Sills, and moved to Salisbury. They made their home on a dairy farm near Twin Lakes for seven years before settling at Hamlet Hill Farm, where they lived until 1979. Nancy was an indispensible partner on the family farm, where she maintained a large garden and raised her five children. Her passion for horses and gardening was evident throughout her life.Nancy was a devoted member of the Congregational Church of Salisbury for more than 60 years. A charter member of the choir for more than five decades, she also served as a church deacon, member of the pastoral search committee and president of the Upkeep Society. For many years, she was in charge of the church kitchen and organized countless church suppers and collations, as well as the Fall Festival’s Country Kitchen.Nancy was active with the Salisbury Garden Club and was a 4-H leader. She also volunteered at the Bargain Barn in Sharon, the local blood bank and participated for many years in the CROP Walk. She and her husband shared a deep love of hiking and climbed many mountains together. They also enjoyed square dancing. In 2002, they moved to the retirement community of Noble Horizons. Nancy is survived by Norman D. Sills, her beloved husband of 61 years; a sister, Carol G. Coyle of New Canaan; five children, Margaret Huckel and her husband, Jack, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Jeffrey Sills and his wife, Anne Marie, of Hillsdale, N.Y., Mark Sills and his wife, Maria, of Ketchum, Idaho, Virginia Filkins and her husband, Jim, of Mount Washington, Mass., Eugenie Sills, of Ghent, N.Y., and a son-in-law, Elike Takyi of Chatham, N.Y.; seven grandchildren; and two nieces.A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 2, at 11 a.m. at the Congregational Church in Salisbury. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Albert C. Sly Music Fund at the Salisbury Congregational Church or to the Heifer Project International, PO Box 8058, Little Rock, AR 72203.Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home in North Canaan.