Nancy Barbara (Brown) Marchand

Nancy Barbara (Brown) Marchand passed away on Thursday, June 27, 2024 after battling a multitude of illnesses. She is preceded in death by her parents, Hugh Jonathan Brown and Margaret Elizabeth Woodliffe of Atlanta, Georgia; her sister Susan Brown Call of Carmichael, California. She is survived by her husband, Frederick James (Jim) Marchand of 32 years, and her son Bret Mathew McKee of New York City, New York; sister Irene Claire Brown of Big Canoe, Georgia; sister Rebecca Jane Kirkman of Alpharetta, Georgia; nephews Richard Carter of Fair Oaks, California; and Robert Hunter Kirkman of Buford, Georgia.

Nancy was born on September 20, 1949 in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from North Fulton High School in Atlanta, in 1967. She was trained in the Massey School of Business in Atlanta as a secretary. She later worked in various places in Atlanta, including a fabric store in which she met and befriended for life, Louise Fraser of Snellville, Georgia. She worked in positions at Cardiac Systems, Lanier, Stone Mountain United Methodist Church, and finally in the Arlington County (Virginia) Schools before retiring. She married in 1975 and had her son Bret in April 1977.

She and her husband Jim met in 1990 in a church Sunday school at the Briarcliff United Methodist Church in Atlanta. This was a foundation of their love for each other all of her life. She loved reading devotionals and many books. Jim and Nancy married on May 14, 1992. Every month on the 14th, she and Jim would exchange “anniversary” cards with private loving notes in each. These cards were reused for the next 32 years, every month. Nancy was the most devoted, loving wife anyone could ever ask for, always supporting Jim in every way including his times away with the military reserves and constant job travel. Her love of her son Bret was always a constant.

Nancy had a passion for all types of creativity including poetry, drawing, painting, and sewing. Her love in school was home economics, as well as being a cheerleader. She had an incredible knack for creating memory books and stories. She also loved baseball and was an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves. She loved music, especially the classics from the 1960s. All who knew her loved her gentle, compassionate, kind spirit, always mindful of other people. She was truly a peacemaker and loved by all who knew her. She was always proud of and loved very much her son Bret.

She will be missed for her wonderful humor and kind spirit towards all. Nancy was a peace maker and loved harmony among people. She passed away in peace in the Northside (Gwinnett) Medical Center, surrounded by her husband, family and friends, all of whom will miss her dearly.

In lieu of flowers, her family suggests donations in her honor to the National Kidney Foundation Finance Department, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016.