Nancy Read McCord

July 26, 1923 - November 17, 2018

Nancy Reed Norton McCord, 95, of the Bryce Mountain Resort in Basye, VA, died Saturday, November 17, 2018 at the Brookdale Senior Living Center in Harrisonburg, VA. She was born July 26, 1923, in Norfolk, VA, the daughter of the late Colonel Augustus Norton and Anne “Nancy” Pemberton Reed. She was a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Raleigh, NC, where she earned an Associate Degree. She married Second Lieutenant Robert “Bob” E. McCord on June 7, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY, following Bob’s graduation from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point). She then began the life of an Army wife traveling with her husband across the US, as well as abroad. Stateside assignments included Ft. Sill, OK, Ft. Leavenworth, KS, Carlisle Barracks, PA, Ft. Bliss, TX, and the Pentagon. Overseas assignments included occupation-era post-war Japan, and Frankfurt, Germany. While Bob served in Vietnam, she lived in Bangkok, Thailand, an experience that provided a vivid store of anecdotes. Their final assignment was Ft. Belvoir, VA where Colonel McCord served with the Combat Developments Command. She was a member of the St. Andrews Episcopal Church of Mt. Jackson, VA and for many years a dedicated member of the altar guild. Over the course of more than four decades, Nancy McCord performed countless hours of volunteer work in Basye and the Bryce Resort Community. Her unique pondside home at Bryce was once a farmhouse and she loved its spectacular views and delighted in the rich array of birds that visited daily. Nancy was preceded in death by her husband and her brothers, Augustus Norton Jr. of Long Island and Lieutenant General John Norton, also of Bryce Resort. She was the beloved aunt of two nephews, Colonel Augustus Richard Norton of Natick, MA and Lieutenant Colonel John Norton Jr, of Berryville, VA, and five nieces, Alexandra Norton of Harrisonburg, VA, Cheyney Edwards of Warrenton, VA, Susan Clarke of Calverton, NY, Candace Kruppa of Spring Hill, FL, and Nancy Wilson of Hampton Bays, NY. She was proud to have 15 grandnephews and grandnieces. A memorial service for Nancy will be conducted at the St. Andrew's Episcopal Church at a date to be determined. Following her memorial, she will be interred at the Arlington National Cemetery with her husband. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Nancy may be made to Legacy Hospice, 2322 Blue Stone Hills Drive, #220, Harrisonburg, VA 22801 as well as to St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 5890 Main St., Mt. Jackson, VA 22842.