Nancy Wall Morris

Nancy, who valiantly survived five and a half years of ovarian cancer, died on June 13 at the age of 73 in Hospice & Community Care, Mount Joy. Born in Widnes, England on April 13, 1942, she was the eighth child of the late Annie Wall Morris and Harold Morris. Surviving are her spouse Donna Sheaffer and sisters Dylys Glew and Gwladys Patterson, brother Arthur and many nephews, nieces and their children and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by brothers Les, David, Brian and sisters Doris Stoe, Freda O’Malley and Vilma Russell.

Nancy emigrated to the U.S. in 1958 and attended McCaskey High School, graduating in 1959. She spent the next year working and saving sufficient money to help to bring her mother and brothers’ Brian and Arthur to the United States in April, 1960. She graduated from Millersville University with a degree in Geography. Nancy was employed by, among others, the Hamilton Watch Company, the Lancaster City Redevelopment Authority, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Lancaster before, in 1981, creating, with William Puffer, Puffer Associates which later became Puffer Morris. Nancy’s work in real estate focused on the city of Lancaster where she used her brilliant knowledge of Lancaster to assist hundreds of home buyers. She loved the architecture of our town and brought great excitement and wisdom to historic preservation. Nancy sold Puffer Morris in 2013. In addition, for 15 years, she was a co-owner of Zanzibar in downtown Lancaster until its sale in 2012.

Nancy not only excelled at work; she was active in many community related organizations. She served on City Council from 1980 to 1984; was a founding member of Lancaster’s Economic Action for Downtown Success (LEADS) and served as its President; was a member the Lancaster County Planning Commission; was a member of the City’s Historical Architectural Review Board; served on numerous committees and as a Director on the board of the Lancaster County Association of Realtors; she was named Realtor of the Year in 1987.

Nancy was also very proud to join a small group of people invited to meet with President Barack Obama in September 2014 to discuss issues facing the U.S.

Nancy loved to travel and visited many places within the US and the rest of the world. Her favorite destination was London, England which she tried to visit annually. Nancy got much joy from Central Market where she was a regular shopper; the food and conversations with stand holders and friends were a special part of her life. Her unique sense of style and fashion was appreciated by many. She was always reading a book as well as planning her next get together with close friends. She experienced great enjoyment from cooking a tasty meal and setting a table fit for the queen. Nancy’s desire for a full life was ever present and was constantly energized by Donna, her partner for almost 30 years. In Donna she found the love of her life and someone to share her love for life.

The family wishes to thank Hospice and their wonderful employees for their kindness and professionalism in helping to make Nancy’s final days more comfortable. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Hospice & Community Care, 685 Good Drive, P.O. Box 4125, Lancaster 17604-4125.

Family and friends of Nancy are invited to a celebration of her life to be held on Thursday, July 2, from 6 to 8 pm, in the Heritage Ballroom area of the Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott.