Anna (Nancy) Carey

Anna Cecelia Loretta Gardiner Carey (Nancy) went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, February 27th. Nancy was born in NYC and grew up in Washington Heights. She married the love of her life, Desmond in 1953, raising their five children in Oradell, before moving to Brick in 1983. Nancy “lived and breathed” real estate in Bergen County and later at the Jersey Shore. She was named a “Million Dollar Sales Winner” twice: first in 1978, when houses sold for a fraction of what they do now, and again in 1986. She spent her retirement with her family, traveling, “snow-birding” in Florida and sailing the Metedeconk. In her later years, she loved HGTV, Jeopardy, golf, Neil Diamond and winning at Rummikub. Nancy was a hard worker and passed on that work ethic to her children. She researched (before the internet) and orchestrated fabulous camping vacations for the whole family on lakes all over the Northeast. Later, she hosted unforgettable Pocono vacations with the grandchildren. She made use of her computer to hone her “hunting” skills, whether for a home, a vacation spot or a car. She was the most supportive and generous mother and friend you could imagine. This stellar matriarch was the rock of her family and friends – reaching out by phone or online, consistently to keep the connections strong, no matter how far away they lived or how long an in-person meeting had been.

Nancy was pre-deceased by her parents, Anna and James Gardiner, her brothers, James and Edward, her husband, Desmond and her son, Michael. Left to cherish her and a lifetime of memories are her children, Timothy, John (Maria Whitney), Barbara (Steven Horvath), Jeannie (Ed Eriksen); her grandchildren Veronica (Tony Beers), Claire (James Carneiro), Kyle (Kim), Nathan, Ian, Liam, Emily, Logan, Anna and great granddaughters Lilliana, Brielle, Willow and Natasha, her sister, Mary Timoney and countless relatives and lifelong friends. We were blessed to have her in our lives for so long.

A memorial gathering will be held at Colonial Funeral Home, Route 88, Brick on Saturday, March 16th from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated: Hackensack Meridian Health Services, 1345 Campus Parkway, Suite A-2, Neptune, NJ 07753-9930. In the memo line, please specify: Hospice-At-Home.