Obituary of Nancy A. (Cary) Haelen

Webster: Passed away peacefully in her sleep Sunday, June 9, 2019, at age 89. Predeceased in 2012 by her husband of 58 years, Robert F. Haelen. Survived by her children: son, Robert (Kathy), Macedon; daughters, Julie (Timothy) Febrey, Irondequoit; Cynthia (Christopher) Handley, Webster; and Laurie (Mary McCrank), Rochester; nine grandchildren: Jennifer (Donald) Yance, Oregon; Tracy (Christopher) Haelen-Winburn, Fairport; Sara (Charles) Boogaard, Wolcott; Tabitha (Jay) Spurgeon, California; Joshua (Trae Jackson) Febrey, Rochester; Jordan (Danielle) Febrey, Hamlin; Trisha Febrey (West Henrietta); Shawn Handley, Webster; and Matthew Handley, Rochester; nine great-grandchildren: Stella and Coltrane Yance; Tyla and Jamie Spurgeon; Azalea and Aubri Winburn; and Avery, Greyson and Reagan Boogaard; sisters-in-law: Lorraine Wahl, Florida; and Dorothy Haelen, Conesus; and several nieces and nephews.

We love you a bushel and a peck.

In 1948, Nancy graduated from Franklin High School, where she was a founding member of the Delta Beta Phi sorority. After graduating from RBI, she worked as a secretary, including for the U.S. Army Quartermaster in the old City Hall.

Rochester natives, Robert and Nancy shared a mutual love for nature and purchased a home with land in Webster, where they raised their family. The family had a menagerie of animals, including geese, chickens, dogs, cats and even bees.

Nancy enjoyed music, gardening and spending time with her family. Family meant everything to Nancy, and she was cherished by all. She never missed a family party and was always the life of any gathering she attended. Nancy could be found with her weekly bowling league, the Netzman’s Knockouts, practicing with the bell choir at her church, having monthly lunches with her sorority sisters, and serving as the second-grade classroom grandmother at State Road Elementary School.

The family would like to thank the staff of The Brightonian for providing meaningful care for Nancy during the last several months of her life.

Friends are welcome to call from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Willard H. Scott Funeral Home, 12 South Ave., Webster. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 131 W. Main St., Webster. Interment will be in Webster Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church or Lifespan of Greater Rochester.