March 1, 1947 – April 11, 2026: Nancy McDonnell Zeitler of Jamestown, Rhode Island died on Saturday April 11. Her family was at her side. She was 79 years old. She had struggled with lung cancer for the last 7 years but in the end her death came suddenly.
Nancy was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Anita (Tinman) McDonnell and James Francis McDonnell.
She spent many of her early years in Scranton Pennsylvania and she graduated from Marywood College in Scranton with a degree in mathematics.
After graduating, she moved to New York City where she worked for IBM. She became a salesman – following in her father’s footsteps – and she was great at it. In fact, in her first year she was Rookie Salesman of the Year for the whole country.
It was while at IBM in New York that she met her husband Bill. They were together for almost 50 years. After starting life together in New York City, they moved to New Canaan, Connecticut where they lived for 35 years. Bill worked for IBM and together they moved to San Francisco California, Charlotte North Carolina, and to Tokyo Japan.
Nancy retired from IBM after 10 years when her daughter Megan was born. After that she worked for Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity in New York. She was with them for 10 years as well.
Nancy is survived by her husband, Bill; their daughter Megan of Jamestown; and 2 grandsons, Cooper Washay, 11 and Miller Washay 9.
Nancy is also survived by her brother Thomas McDonnell, sister Susan Grinwis, both from Naples, Florida; and 2 nieces Bryn Funk (Steve) of Madison, Connecticut, and K.C. Simon (Carl) of Darien, Connecticut and their 6 children.
Nancy was a successful businesswoman, she traveled the world and she was an accomplished artist in her retirement years. She loved the time she could spend with her friends and especially with the Jamestown Mahjong crowd. She and Bill were long time members of Conanicut Yacht Club, the New York Yacht Club, and the Stamford Yacht Club before that. Nancy enjoyed sailing with Bill and with friends and family on Narragansett Bay and throughout the waters of New England – but nothing gave her more joy than spending time over the last 5 years with Megan and the boys after they moved to Jamestown. It was truly the highlight of Nancy’s life.
A visitation will be held from 4-7 pm on Friday, April 24, 2026 in the Fagan-Quinn Funeral Home of Patrick Quinn Funerals and Cremations. Relatives and friends are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial which will be celebrated for Nancy at 10 am on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at St. Mark Church, 60 Narragansett Ave., Jamestown. Her burial will be private but a reception will follow.
Nancy believed strongly in supporting organizations that helped the hungry and the homeless. In lieu of flowers any donations to Rhode Island Community Food Bank, 200 Niantic Ave., Providence, RI 02907 and Crossroads Rhode Island, 160 Broad St., Providence, RI 02903 would be appreciated. Any donations made in Nancy’s name to the two organizations will be matched by the family.
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