Nancy M (Keener) Mccafferty

Nancy M (Keener) McCafferty passed away peacefully on Sunday February 28th in her home at 580 Dorset Hollow Rd. in Dorset following a 20-year battle with cancer. Nancy Keener was born on December 27, 1938 in Hershey PA, the eldest daughter of Henry and Elsie Keener. Nancy attended a one room country school until her parents relocated to Palmyra, PA in 1948. Nancy met her future husband Bob McCafferty in the 4th grade and although they dated other people, they became a steady couple in high school. Nancy was a "Commercial' student studying secretarial and business until graduation. In her senior year she was chosen the school's Harvest Moon Ball Queen, the most prestigious social honor her class could provide! Upon graduation, Nancy became a secretary to Mr. John Miller, an owner and officer of the Quaker Alloy Casting Co. in Myerstown, PA. Bob McCafferty, upon his graduation from junior college, relocated to West Dover, VT to begin construction of a small Ski Lodge near the growing Mt. Snow Ski Area in West Dover, VT and in the summer of 1958, he married his long-time sweetheart, Nancy. Upon completing the Lodge named the Doverhof, Nancy became the main Innkeeper responsible for the operation of the Inn and all food preparation! Nancy and Bob operated the Inn for six years during which time a son, Jonathan was born in 1961 before selling the Inn and building a new home near the base of a newly developing ski are on Haystack Mt. In Wilmington, VT. Nancy subsequently began a lifelong career in fashion and retailing joining the staff of The Cupola Ski Shop where she became the apparel buyer winning several awards for her knowledge of ski fashion and fabrication. In 1974 Bob, Nancy and ski racer, son Jon relocated to Princeton NJ to begin a new adventure. Nancy was employed by the Princeton based Market Research Firm of Mapes & Ross for several years rising to the level of office manager. Nancy also took several retail, accounting and marketing courses at Rutgers University during this time and subsequently was accepted into the R.H. Macy Executive Training Program as a segue back to the world of fashion. Completing her Macy's training, she was assigned to the Headquarters of Macy's Bamberger Division in Newark NJ. Nancy advanced steadily within the Bamberger Organization becoming an Assistant Buyer in Sporting Apparel and winning the prestigious "Assistant Buyer of the Year" award for introducing Adidas Sporting Apparel to the Bamberger chain of stores! In 1979 Nancy and her husband Bob relocated to a new home in Upper Montclair, NJ. In the early 80's Nancy left Macy's and, after a brief retirement, decided to return to retailing and opened her own woman's clothing store named "The Nantucket Lady" located on Valley Rd. in the heart of Upper Montclair Village. The decor was modeled after a Nantucket cottage and featured ladies sporting apparel, upscale casual fashions and accessories. The Nantucket Lady was an instant success and Nancy and an exceptional sales staff managed the store successfully until 1996, at which point Nancy retired to pursue her passion for competitive tennis and hiking the mountains of New England, Switzerland and Italy. Prior to Nancy's retirement she and Bob purchased a second home in the Village of Dorset in southern Vermont. They became members of the Dorset Field Club in 1990 where Nancy had played competitive tennis years before. In 2001 Bob, having retired from Commercial Real Estate in New Jersey, and Nancy moved to their Vermont home and began the planning process for a new home in Dorset which they built in 2002. Nancy subsequently joined The Manchester Garden Club, the Green Mountain Girls, served as a Trustee of the Dorset UCC Church and on the Tennis Committee of the Dorset Field Club. Nancy is survived by her husband of 62 years, Bob McCafferty, her son Jonathan and his partner Lisa Feiwel, grandson Willem and Willem's mother Jacki Gross all of Manhattan. Her sister Janet Keener of Mount Joy, PA and various nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center at 100 Hospital Drive, Bennington, VT for the benefit of the Staff of the Cancer Center, c/o Brewster-Shea Funeral Home P.O. Box 885 Manchester Center, VT 05255.