Nancy Dole Letteney-Silver died on August 1, 2026.

Born in Boston on December 2, 1933, Nancy Dole Letteney-Silver was the daughter of the late F. Sidney and Esther P. Dole. In 1954, Nancy received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Rhode Island and began graduate studies at Boston University. In 1970, she completed her master of arts in education from Newark State College, while also raising two children and tutoring.

Nancy is survived by her daughter, Jessica Letteney; son, David Letteney; stepdaughter Audrey Jacobs and family—husband Sean and children Colby and Siena; and stepdaughter Wendy Gordon and family—husband Brad and daughter Amanda. Nancy's second husband, Arthur Silver, as well as her firs husband, David Letteney, predeceased her.

Nancy began her professional life in the 1950s as an executive trainee with the Boston-based Jordan Marsh Company. As she began her graduate studies in education, she taught at public elementary and middle schools in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Later in her career, she served as supervisor of curriculum and instruction in the Marlboro School District in New Jersey, and then as principal of Asher Holmes Elementary School. She also taught as an adjunct instructor at Monmouth College in Long Branch, New Jersey.

Nancy believed strongly in promoting learning world. During her work as principal, she developed cross-cultural programs with her international student community, fostering a better understanding of humankind around the world. She traveled extensively, visiting countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. She met with students, teachers, and educational leaders to exchange ideas on how to better communicate and prepare the next generation for the challenges ahead. When she returned home, she'd bring the world back with her, creating multicultural presentations that drew on not only her experience but also the knowledge and languages of the students and parents from those countries.

After retiring from public school education, Nancy earned her certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and worked for English Link in Prague, Czech Republic, and Puscha Voditsa, Ukraine. Her primary assignments were to teach English to air traffic controllers. She volunteered in New Delhi, India; Tiblisi, Georgia; the south of France; and for Princeton University at the Davis International Center, continuing to teach English as a Second Language to newcomers and their family members.

An avid Francophile, Nancy lived in Paris, France, for a year and returned for long stays every year after that. She was a walking Wikipedia on the City of Light, absorbing music, culture, food and wine, as well as the best Metro routes to efficiently travel from point A to point B. She continued to speak French until her last breath, communicating with the members of her beloved Café Français (a program at the Center for Modern Aging Princeton) in her very last days.

Everyone who knew Nancy understands that she is bigger than her biography. She spread her joie de vivre, thirst for learning, and delight in the world widely and lifted up everyone who knew and loved her.

Memorial contributions can be made to Seeds of Peace International Camp. Learn more and donate at https://www.seedsofpeace.org/programs/developing-leaders/camp/, or send a check to Seeds of Peace, P.O. Box 24675, New York, NY 10087-4675.