Nancy Carol McDuffie

6) Probably most special of all to Nancy were her twin boys, Will and Anthony Nunziata. We would see them as often as we could as they performed concerts around the US. They would always do a shout-out to Nancy at every show and announce that their biggest fan was in the audience. I've attached a tribute that Anthony wrote on Facebook. These are just a few of the million fabulous memories we shared. I will miss Nancy terribly and still can't really believe she is gone. She brought joy to so many people over the years. Thank you both so much for being with her and taking care of her these last few weeks!! Best Regards, Beverly

5) One of our favorite Broadway boys, Will Chase, got a leading role on the TV series Nashville. We were able to go to Nashville several times, watch them film and see all the sets on the sound stages. Through Will, we met the two stars of the show, Connie Britton and Chip Esten.

4) Another great friend of ours was Douglas Sills who was nominated for a Tony Award for the Scarlet Pimpernel. We crashed the Tony Award party at the Marriott Marquis that year and have seen him in every show he has done since then.

3) Nancy and I got to know Bernadette Peters during Annie Get Your Gun in 1999 and also got to know the cast including Kevin Bailey who played Chief Sitting Bull. Over the years we saw Bernadette in numerous concerts and all her Broadway shows. After the shows and concerts, we would hang out and visit in her dressing room.

2) Nancy and I met Tommy Tune when he was touring in Bye Bye Birdie in 1991 and became dear friends. When he was developing Busker Alley, he let us come to the workshop and watch rehearsals. We went to every city during the pre-Broadway tour and got to know everyone in the cast. Every weekend we would see the changes they had made during the week in city after city. Tommy was always so excited to get our feedback on the changes and new numbers that were added along the way. The last time we saw Tommy in person was in St. Louis in May 2019. He knew it was Nancy's birthday so when we checked into the hotel, Tommy had left a birthday cake and a special lithograph he had painted for Nancy in our room, along with some Happy Birthday balloons.

Hi Doug and Deborah, As you know, everywhere Nancy went, people loved her. I have thousands of photos and even more memories of all the trips we went on, shows we saw and people we met and got to know over the years. I've attached a zip file of photos that I've numbered along with a few thoughts to go with them. 1. Nancy and I went to see Damn Yankees in NYC in the 90's and were sitting on the front row. We went to the stage door after the show to meet a friend in the cast that was joining us for dinner. A new cast member, Jason Workman, had just joined the show and was playing the young lead of Joe Hardy. As we were waiting he came out the stage door, raced over to Nancy and gave her a big kiss. He had seen her smiling and loving the show and it had inspired him during his first performance. We became fast friends and several years later he had the lead in the National Tour of Aida. We made a scrapbook for his birthday which he says is the best gift he has ever received. Several weeks ago was the 20th anniversary of us giving him the scrapbook and he sent us a message on Facebook that he still has it and it is his most cherished gift!!!

Nancy was such a joy to be around! I will always remember the fun times we had playing card games and board games. I will cherish our scrapbook retreat and crafting memories. I’m so grateful she shared her love of Broadway with me. She is a wonderful lady and I will miss her dearly!

Oh, the adventures I had with Nancy! When we discovered back in 1992 at Purolator in Tulsa that we were both OSU alums, both loved musical theatre, books, cats and art (and talking about all of it), we knew we were destined to be friends. Even when I moved to Kansas City a few years later, we got together when we could to see a show, tailgate before an OSU game, eat a great meal or just hang out. Who else would introduce you to people like Tommy Tune and Bernadette Peters? She was such a positive force of nature. She loved her family and friends so much. I will miss her.

I will miss Nancy. We always had so much fun together.

Nancy was a dear friend as well as my cousin. Living so close, we played together as children and saw each other frequently. In our earlier adult years we were both busy and didn't see as much of each other, but for the last 20 years or so we have had the time to hang out and have fun together. Nancy was always up for whatever we could do ... holiday get-togethers, family reunions, game nights, concerts and shows, craft nights, scrapbook parties and days-long "scrapathons" ... even cross-country road trips to Colorado, Pennsylvania and Texas together. We shared lots of laughter and a few tears, and I will miss her sweet disposition, her contagious enthusiasm, her beautiful smile, and her sunny, positive outlook. - Juli Bulleigh