Nancy Noyes Thayer, 101, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2026.
Born on May 13, 1925, in Evanston, Ill., to George Frederick Noyes and Dorothy Hall Noyes, Nancy grew up in Evanston and graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1943. She went on to attend Connecticut College, graduating in 1947.
Before starting her family, Nancy worked in banking in both New York City and Chicago, taking time in between for an adventurous six-week trip through Europe with three of her close high school friends. In later years, she commented about how welcoming Europeans were to have Americans visiting postwar Europe.
On April 14, 1950, Nancy married the love of her life, Bruce William Thayer. After spending a memorable weeklong honeymoon in Vero Beach, Fla., the couple knew it was a place they wanted to return to. Decades later, they made that dream a reality, making Vero Beach their home from 1989 to 2010. Following Bruce’s passing, Nancy continued to enjoy her years in Vero Beach until 2020, when she relocated to the Residence at Quarry Hill in South Burlington, Vt., to be closer to her family.
Nancy is survived by her three children: Elizabeth Noyes Thayer of Burlington, Vt.; Robert Bruce Thayer of Egnar, Colo.; and Emily Thayer Guziak and her husband, Tim, of Essex, Vt. She is also survived by eight grandchildren: Jamie Hurd (Jeff) of Madras, Ore.; Robert Thayer of Denver, Colo.; Erin Thayer of Whitehall, Ark.; Kristi Clough (Pras Pathmanathan) of Washington, D.C.; Carrie Clough (Jimmy Bader) of Denver, Colo.; Kelsey Guziak (Alex Levin) of Jericho, Vt.; Melissa Guziak (Andrew McAfee) of Grand Junction, Colo.; and Caleb Guziak of Salt Lake City, Utah; and six great grandchildren: Lucas, Jacob, Nolan, Livie, Ellie and Louisa.
Nancy was predeceased by her husband of nearly 60 years, Bruce; and her brothers, George, Richard and Tom. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Virginia Noyes, of Wilmette, Ill., and many nieces and nephews.
Nancy and Bruce spent many wonderful family summer vacations at Watervale Resort in Arcadia, Mich., where they made lifelong friends. Nancy always made friends wherever Bruce’s career took them — Chicago; Battle Creek, Mich.; and Barrington, Ill. — through her love for entertaining, volunteer work and love of people. In her last six years, in Vermont, she made many friends and enjoyed attending concerts and theater, always being a supporter of the arts.
She was a member of many Episcopal churches, most recently All Saints Episcopal Church, South Burlington. She loved to sing in church choirs. One of her favorite places to travel was London, England, to hear the London Welsh Festival of Male Choirs, and to Paris, France, where she loved to take her grandchildren.
Nancy celebrated her 100th birthday in Paris with 14 family members at her favorite restaurant, Chez Plumeau, atop Montmartre.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 28, 2026, 3 p.m., at the Residence at Quarry Hill, 435 Quarry Hill Rd., South Burlington. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026, 4 p.m., at the First Congregational Church, Essex Junction. Internment of ashes will take place at a later date at Blaine Township Cemetery, Arcadia, Mich. Memorials may be made to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, 2846 N .Three Mile Rd., Traverse City, MI 49686 (gtrlc.org).