Nancy Elaine Harris Newberry
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Nancy Elaine Harris Newberry, age 82, of Beaufort, SC, died peacefully after a short battle with pancreatic cancer on August 24, 2021. She was surrounded by her family and loved ones in her home on Lady's Island.
Nancy was born on June 11, 1939, in Lakewood, Ohio, to the late T.W. and Olive Harris. She grew up in neighboring Bay Village before heading to the Chicago area to attend college at Northwestern University, where she earned a B.A. in History in 1961. She graduated from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in 1964 before marrying her college sweetheart, Marcus Newberry, in 1965.
After several short stints in cities in the Midwest, Nancy settled with her family in Mt. Pleasant, SC, in 1971. She quickly became active in the community, serving as president of the Charleston League of Women Voters in 1979 and managing the Charleston County absentee ballot precinct for the 1980 presidential election.
Nancy was an athlete and excelled in many sports, including golf and tennis. Nancy was also a runner who completed two marathons and worked with her husband to establish the Cooper River Bridge Run. She was best known for her competitive golf game, winning numerous Snee Farm Club Championships and the Charleston Women's Amateur Championship in 1983. For twenty years, she competed in the Virginias-Carolinas Women's Team matches. She also established the intercollegiate women's golf team at the College of Charleston in 1989 and coached the team for its first nine years. She was named Golf Coach of the Year by the Trans America Athletic Conference for the 1991-92 season.
Nancy was a self-taught artist and woodworker, who created unique, three-dimensional murals featuring the natural world. She designed and decorated the walls of the children's unit of the North Trident Hospital as well as the Children's Chapel at the Lord of the Harvest Christian Faith Center in North Charleston. Her work was featured in many newspapers and the Winter 1997 issue of Southern Living magazine. She was a nature photographer, SCUBA diver and animal lover. In recent years, Nancy returned to a prior passion for playing bridge and became a Ruby Level Life Master earning over 1,500 master points.
Nancy is survived by her husband of 56 years, Marcus Newberry; three children: Mark (Elizabeth) of Beaufort, SC, Tom of Greenville, SC, and Alison (Matt Sparapani) of Chicago, IL; four grandchildren: Marcus, Sam, Nell and Lainey; and one sister, Judith Harris (David Willey), of Trevignano, Italy.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Lord of the Harvest Christian Faith Center in North Charleston, SC. Details about a memorial service to celebrate Nancy's life will be forthcoming.
Anderson Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family.