Nancy Ann Pickett

Date of Death

Rollinsford – Nancy Ann Pickett, 80, passed after an all-too-brief battle with cancer on January 8, 2023, surrounded by her family. Born April 16, 1942, in New Milford, CT.
She was the daughter of the late Robert Griswold Whitehead and his late wife Frances Collins Whitehead.
Nancy was a dedicated mother, grandmother, wife, daughter, sister, and neighbor, who lived her life in the service of others.
The White Ayr dairy farm in Washington Depot, CT ― which had been in the Whitehead family for over a century ― was the site of Nancy’s upbringing and the bedrock for her worldview. During her elementary and high school years, Nancy competed in 4-H agricultural events, was captain of her field hockey team, and was also active in the Girl Scouts. Appropriately, it was on the farm that Nancy met her future husband, Herbert Pickett, who spent his summers as a farm hand.
In 1964, Nancy graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she majored in elementary education. She relied on this training to teach elementary school (third grade) in Oakland, CA. Later on, Nancy continued her career in education managing the Language Arts Resource Center at La Cañada High School in California.
Nancy was an active member of the church community throughout her life. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Austin, TX, and taught Sunday school and held various leadership roles at the Church of the Lighted Window in La Cañada, CA, for over three decades. Most recently, she served as a Deacon in the First Parish Congregational Church in Dover, NH.
Nancy had an easy smile and was quick to laugh. She led her life the way many aspire toward, but few achieve in practice: selflessly devoted to others. Nancy would be the first to concede (and her children even quicker to point out) that this concern for others sometimes manifested in worrying. But more often it was demonstrated in volunteering for her community; looking out for her grandchildren; and, especially in the final decades of her life, caring for her husband and mother.
Nancy is survived by her children Tim Pickett and wife Mary of Flagstaff, AZ; Jennifer Daniels and husband Chad of Lee, NH; and James Pickett and wife Jessica of Pittsburgh, PA; four grandchildren Melanie, Clayton, Claire, and Luke; as well as her siblings Edwin Whitehead of Washington Depot, CT, Susan Rood of New Hartford, CT, and their respective families.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 1 p.m. at Salem Covenant Church, 96 Baldwin Hill Road, Washington Depot, CT, 06794. In lieu of flowers, please plant some in your own garden so that they may bring you as much joy as she found in hers.
Please go to taskerfuneralservice.com to sign the online guestbook