Nancy L. Byrnes (Gropp), age 79, of Canton, formerly of Quincy and South Weymouth, passed away on March 31. Born and raised in Quincy, she graduated from Quincy High School and her first job was working for the phone company. Nancy worked as a Realtor for many years at Century 21 in Canton and co-founded a Real Estate Appraisal Company, Hannon & Byrnes Real Estate Appraisal. Her associates, who were also dear friends, recall many laughs and getting lost on the way to homes in the days before GPS.
Nancy loved going to casinos and traveling to visit friends and family, especially to New York and Florida. Her frequent NYC trips involved Broadway shows, dinners out, and making new friends. Outgoing and talkative, she and her friend Pat became known in Manhattan hot spots like The Oak Bar and King Cole Bar. Everywhere they went they were loved and remembered.
Nancy enjoyed trying new restaurants she heard about on Phantom Gourmet and trips to Crescent Ridge with her grandchildren for peanut butter cup and frozen pudding ice cream. Along with her beloved fellow “foodie” friend Jessie, whom she met when they both were raising families on Wildewood Drive in the 1970s, Nancy loved participating in Restaurant Week and trying out adventurous new eateries. Blessed with thick hair well into old age, she was always styled beautifully and liked to wear velour tracksuits, especially her favorite purple one. She loved playing dominoes with her grandchildren and taking them out to Bertucci’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken. A member of a bowling league in her younger years, Nancy was an enthusiastic sports fan who cheered on the Celtics, Red Sox, and Patriots. Always interested in learning new things, she took up painting later in life and learned to play guitar as an adult.
Nancy embraced her time at the Cornerstone Senior Residence in Canton, participating in activities and shows. She loved to dance her whole life, and would dance at Cornerstone events — with one hand on the walker at all times.
A lifelong musical theater lover, in her later years Nancy became a big fan of Canton High School theater. She was especially moved by their performance of Les Miserables.
Above all, Nancy adored her friends and family. She was fortunate to have many wonderful friends who cared about and loved her. Her friends were her lunch dates, confidants, bridge partners, beer swizzlers, and square dance partners. And her time as “Nanny” to her grandchildren was among the most cherished of her life.
A Canton resident since 1977, Nancy was a member of the Canton Garden Club and a Parishioner at St. John the Evangelist Church.
Mother of Michael Byrnes and his wife Brenilda of Warwick, RI, Michelle Stark and her husband Jim of Canton, David Byrnes and his wife Mary of Middleboro, and Daniel Byrnes and his wife Sarah of Norton. Sister of Joan Petersen of Tacoma, WA, Barbara Marrier of West Berlin, NJ, Kathy Mariano of Braintree, and the late Louis Gropp. Beloved “Nanny” of Elizabeth and Ashley Byrnes, Katherine, Daniel, and Ben Stark, and Jacob and Flynn Byrnes.
Visiting hours at the Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home 455 Washington St. Canton Tuesday 4-7 pm. Funeral Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church, Canton Wednesday morning at 10. Burial Canton Corner Cemetery. Donations in Nancy’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation at www.michaeljfox.org.
Michael J. Fox Foundation