Nancy Butts Whittemore, 91, of Sandy Hook died January 6, following a brief illness. She was born on November 5, 1925, in Newton, Mass., to Louise (Mirick) and F. Marsena Butts. She was the beloved wife of the late Arthur S. Whittemore, Jr, who predeceased her in 1981.

Mrs Whittemore was dearly loved, and her two children, Susan Whittemore Chung and her husband, Yun Kee, of Sandy Hook and Arthur S. Whittemore III, and his wife, Maureen, of Media, Penn., survive her. She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Amanda L. Whittemore Best and her husband, George A., of Chestertown, Md.; H. Scott Whittemore and Sarah Jane Whittemore of Media, Penn.; Nancy K. Chung and Parker Y. Chung of Sandy Hook; two great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, her three brothers, Frederic H. Butts II, M. Parker Butts, and Stephen M. Butts, predeceased her.

Prior to moving to Sandy Hook in 2007, Mrs Whittemore lived in Ridgewood, N.J., for 43 years.

She was a graduate of the Harvard Radcliffe Program in Business Administration before Harvard Business School accepted women to its MBA program. Prior to that, she earned a BA in practical arts at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. She remained a lifelong active alumna of Mills and was a major force in designing its gold and silver eucalyptus leaf pins that are still sold today as a class fundraiser. She was also a graduate of Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass.

Mrs Whittemore started her career with New England Telephone & Telegraph before attending graduate school. While raising her two children, she earned certification by the Embroiders Guild as an instructor and taught crewel embroidery and needlepoint for several years. Later she worked for several major corporations in executive support roles, finally running her own business in support of several executives and consultants.

Always the consummate volunteer, Mrs Whittemore was involved with many organizations that she found important to her. While in Ridgewood, she volunteered for the Bergen County Chapter of the American Red Cross and The Children's Therapy Center of which she was a board member for many years. She also served as the chair of a committee that produced Forum Feasts, a cook book for the Forum School that raised more than $1 million, and was involved in The Depot for Children's Aid, the College Club of Ridgewood, and the Junior League of Bergen County.

In Sandy Hook, she volunteered at the C.H. Booth Library, was a member of the Ridgefield Chapter of PEO, was an active member of the Garden Club of Newtown, and was involved in many activities and groups from Newtown Newcomers and Neighbors.

A memorial service will be planned at a later date.

Donations may be made in Mrs Whittemore's name to the Cyrenius. H. Booth Library, chboothlibrary.org; the Second Company Governor's Horse Guard, thehorseguard.org; or World Wildlife Fund, worldwildlife.org.