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Nancy Hawkins Burtis

On Dec. 26, surrounded by her family, God called Nancy Hawkins Burtis home to reunite with two of her best friends, Becky and Dinita. Nancy was born in Deep River on March 14, 1952, to Gene Hawkins and Catherine Zuccardy Hawkins. She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and an excited and enthusiastic Nana to her grandchildren.

Nancy graduated from Valley Regional High School in Deep River in 1970. She received her bachelor’s degree in education at Central Connecticut State University in 1974. Nancy spent 27 years at Upstate University Health Sciences Library as a Managing Librarian before retiring in 2020. Prior to that, she served as a librarian at Dartmouth College. When she moved to Syracuse in 1986, she took a job at CIS as a corporate librarian.

Nancy was an active member at Cicero United Methodist Church, where she served as a trustee and contributed her time and expertise to various committees. Nancy and her husband, Dick, ran a cancer support group at the church for many years, and they played an integral role in bringing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program to the church and the area.

Nancy was the heart of many circles of friends and generations of her family, bringing everyone together for unforgettable gatherings and meals. It’s easy to say that someone loved food, friends, and being a Grandma, but Nancy loved all of those things with an incredible passion and all of her heart. She also loved being by the water, enjoying frequent visits to the Connecticut River Valley, Rockport, Mass., and the Finger Lakes. Nancy also had an incredible sense of humor, often keeping her family laughing for hours before making them an incredible Italian dinner and finishing with a “divine” dessert.

Surviving Nancy is her beloved and devoted husband of 27 years, Dick Burtis. He supported her, unwavering, through every endeavor. Between them, they shared five children; Nancy’s daughters, Katy (Greg) Voigt of Brooklyn, New York, and Max (Conor Muldoon) Weselcouch of Syracuse, New York; Dick’s children, Scott (Angela) Burtis of Candor, New York, Tim (Chris) Burtis of Brewerton, New York, and Johanna (Todd) Fogle of Burke, Virginia. Nancy is also survived by a total of 12 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and her sister Susan Dubilo of Westfield, Massachusetts; a sister-in-law, Sylvia Buller, of Warner Robins, Georgia; as well as a special nephew and niece, Jesse and Jill Schwartzman, of Norwalk and Essex.

Nancy’s family so appreciates the doctors and nurses who treated her, and especially the home health aides and Hospice of Central New York for their loving care. Contributions in loving memory can be made to Cicero United Methodist Church or Hospice of Central New York.

Friends may call from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Cicero United Methodist Church, 8416 Brewerton Road, Cicero, NY 13039, with a Celebration of Life following at noon.