Nancy Mary Schultz, age 93 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at Princeton Medical Center of Plainsboro, NJ.

Born in Patchogue, NY, October 31, 1925, daughter of the late Celestino “Charles” and Gina Caioli Migliorato, she was raised in Patchogue before moving to Spring Valley, NY, where she lived for several years prior to moving to Raritan Township in September of 1966.

Raised in a, “small” Italian family, Nancy learned the importance of family and a good meal from her childhood. Family time was always of the utmost importance, and most family functions involved a good meal.

Loving and selfless to a fault, she was a true, “Mom” to so many people. Her role as a homemaker was one in which she thrived. She simply enjoyed helping others, and her husband, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, extended family and friends were always on the receiving end of heartfelt advice, a listening ear, and a phenomenal home-cooked meal. Her children reflected that there was always an, “extra chicken in the pot” at all times, as their home was a main base for all the neighborhood children.

Nancy’s heart did not stop with family and friends, but extended well into the community. She was active in the P.T.A. and Woman’s Club while in Spring Valley, NY. Her activities did not slow with the move to the Flemington, NJ, area where she soon joined the Flemington Woman’s Club and also became involved with the Red Cross of Flemington.

One of her most heartfelt civic activities was being a founding member of the Flemington Area Food Pantry. She was a major force behind the creation of the Pantry’s signature annual fundraiser, the Empty Bowl, which she went on to manage for the next 18 years. An active volunteer and Board Vice President with the Pantry since its inception in 1982, Nancy stepped away only five years ago, due to declining health. Everyone involved with the Food Pantry remembers her as an outspoken advocate for the Pantry’s mission and the community members who depend on it. As members of the current Board said, “Nancy remains an inspiration for what one person can do to improve the lives of those around them.”

A longtime communicant of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Three Bridges, NJ, faith kept her grounded as she navigated the process of aging and some of the difficulties that accompanied it.

She also was an avid reader; so much so that her mother used to remove her light bulb from the lamp in her bedroom at night because she wanted to stay up and read. She would simply then lean out her window and read by the streetlamp light! Her tenacity, even at a young age, never faded or became jaded as she grew older.

Nancy was also very much into keeping fit. She played volleyball, tennis, softball and rode her bike around the neighborhood well into her eighties! She truly was an inspiration to everyone she met.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Renald S. Schultz in 2004, as well as by a brother, Peter Migliorato.

Surviving are her husband of seventy-one years, Leslie Edward Schultz, Jr. whom she married on March 28, 1948. The two met after Les returned from World War II, when he returned a book to the local library where Nancy was working as a librarian. He convinced her to let him give her a ride home and the rest as they say, is history. She is also survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Jeanne and William Yancey; two sons, Leslie Edward Schultz III and Dr. Edward Joseph Schultz; her grandchildren, Kristen Lee Yancey, Patrick Dylan Yancey and his wife, Charlotte; two great grandchildren, Sebastian and Cecilia Yancey; several extended family members; and many dear friends.

Nancy will lie in repose on Monday, February 18, 2019 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington,  NJ, where family and friends are invited to help celebrate the life of this amazing woman.

A Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Rev. Thomas Serafin will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 105 Summer Road, Three Bridges, NJ. Everyone is kindly asked to meet directly at the Church beginning at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

Entombment will follow at St. Magdalen Mausoleum, North Main Street, Flemington, NJ.

Please visit Nancy’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com where one can light a candle and leave a message of condolence and words of comfort, as well as share stories and photographs of her life.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Nancy’s honor may be made to the Flemington Area Food Pantry.