Nancy Gail Black Sagafi-nejad

I first saw Nancy in Brattleboro; we were standing on a line for something and I asked who the newcomer was. She was tall, willowy with shiny, silky chestnut hair. She had travelled alone to meet you at your job as our instructor. Her voice was soft in contrast to our strong New York accents. Her whole demeanor was on of softness and calm. After our return to the States, we met again while you were living in PA. Our visit was impromptu…I think we were with the Loughs, and you had company coming for dinner that night as well, but she put out a lunch for us nonetheless and remained calm and graciously asked us to stay for dinner. We did not. She had planned ahead with her tomato sauce already made for a spaghetti dinner. With two small boys scampering about, that was impressive. …the Quaker spirit inhabited her being…calm, steady, practical.. Subsequently, your family visited us in our apartment in Brooklyn. She had packed in a hurry, had thought about everyone else, and did not pack for herself. Somehow, she made do, and again remained calm and not at all frustrated or agitated by this. We had a good time, despite managing 4 kids between in our modest abode. Our travels together were punctuated with her insights, humor and practicality. She said she did not keep money on her, nor a credit card in the spirit of thrift based on her Quaker tenets, but would laugh at herself when she contradicted herself by ordering a $200 dinner at a posh NY hotel. We are all embodied with contradictions, but unlike me, she just accepted who she was. I remember going on a quest with her in NYC in search of a particular, expensive lipstick color. We had many laughs through that episode. You and Nick happily plodded along with us on that less exotic adventure than others we had shared. During one of our times together, she told me that when she was buying a dress for your marriage ceremony, the sales person suggested she wear flats because of the difference in your heights. She said she was shocked, because she had never noticed it……so in love with who you are…. I cherish the ”soquati” you both always thought to bring whenever you stayed here, particularly the sterling silver tasting spoon; that was not a gift of a practical, Quaker! Chiara still uses the beautiful salad tongs she gave her as a wedding gift. Her friendship was shown in her trip alone to attend Franco’s second wedding reception knowing that she had to stay with us to the end. Our visit to Laredo stands out in many ways…making Iranian food ( a complicated zereshq polo recipe)and her treating me to the beauty school for a facial….girl time… I still have her Margarita recipe in her handwriting. She took me to the Ladies’ club to attend a lecture and gave me a taste of life outside the northeast. I enjoyed every minute and came back with some recipes. WE have fond memories of our visit to your home by the Maryland shore as in Baltimore proper where we attended Quaker meeting. I then had some understanding where her serenity came from. Her voice still resonates in my head. I say goodbye to a person who enriched my life with her gentle ways. Now, she has taken the ultimate voyage and I take comfort in the fact that she was able to do it on her terms. That was a gift from the universe to her…she was in control and had time to see you and the boys before she left us. Rest in Peace soul of dear, gentle, Nancy. You have left a big hole in the lives of us all, but we will fill them with memories of your existence here among us. Remembrance of Nancy Sagafi-Nejad I first saw Nancy in Brattleboro; we were standing on a line for something and I asked who the newcomer was. She was tall, willowy with shiny, silky chestnut hair. She had travelled alone to meet you at your job as our instructor. Her voice was soft in contrast to our strong New York accents. Her whole demeanor was on of softness and calm. After our return to the States, we met again while you were living in PA. Our visit was impromptu…I think we were with the Loughs, and you had company coming for dinner that night as well, but she put out a lunch for us nonetheless and remained calm and graciously asked us to stay for dinner. We did not. She had planned ahead with her tomato sauce already made for a spaghetti dinner. With two small boys scampering about, that was impressive. …the Quaker spirit inhabited her being…calm, steady, practical.. Subsequently, your family visited us in our apartment in Brooklyn. She had packed in a hurry, had thought about everyone else, and did not pack for herself. Somehow, she made do, and again remained calm and not at all frustrated or agitated by this. We had a good time, despite managing 4 kids between in our modest abode. Our travels together were punctuated with her insights, humor and practicality. She said she did not keep money on her, nor a credit card in the spirit of thrift based on her Quaker tenets, but would laugh at herself when she contradicted herself by ordering a $200 dinner at a posh NY hotel. We are all embodied with contradictions, but unlike me, she just accepted who she was. I remember going on a quest with her in NYC in search of a particular, expensive lipstick color. We had many laughs through that episode. You and Nick happily plodded along with us on that less exotic adventure than others we had shared. During one of our times together, she told me that when she was buying a dress for your marriage ceremony, the sales person suggested she wear flats because of the difference in your heights. She said she was shocked, because she had never noticed it……so in love with who you are…. I cherish the ”soquati” you both always thought to bring whenever you stayed here, particularly the sterling silver tasting spoon; that was not a gift of a practical, Quaker! Chiara still uses the beautiful salad tongs she gave her as a wedding gift. Her friendship was shown in her trip alone to attend Fr