Nancy Mary Ray, 74, of Belmont, New Hampshire, passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Concord Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire.
Nancy was born on February 22, 1952 to Thomas and Martha Ray in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up there, attending Kirkwood High School. She then attended Mizzou and later graduated from Cornell College. As a young woman, she enjoyed her freedom and her love of travel began while backpacking throughout Europe.
Nancy eventually married and started a family. They settled down in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis. They purchased a home there and took on the challenge of completely renovating and restoring it, making it their own.
Nancy spent much of her career as a realtor, a profession she enjoyed and in which she became well respected. Later on, with her family, Nancy relocated to South Florida. There, she dealt in antiques and owned and operated a storefront antique business for many years. Eventually, Nancy made her way to New Hampshire. There she returned to real estate and continued to build a career she was passionate about. At the time of her passing, Nancy was Association Executive of the Capitol Regional Board of Realtors in New Hampshire.
Nancy truly enjoyed life and believed in taking things as they came. She loved camping, being near the water and attending fairs. She enjoyed riding her motorcycle, affectionately calling it her “wind therapy.” She loved a good book, loud music on car rides and always enjoyed some good BBQ. At any given time, she could be heard reciting lines from her favorite movies. She was generous and kind-hearted. She also enjoyed scuba diving, especially with her siblings.
In recent years she enjoyed traveling with her dear friend Sandy. Nancy had a love for learning, striving to learn something new each day. She had a deep love for history and telling old family stories. Nancy had a passion for sewing, which began as a young girl with her mother. She would sew much of her own clothing and countless Halloween costumes for herself, daughters and grandchildren. She also found joy in knitting, especially tiny baby items for each grandchild. While she enjoyed adventure and travel, she always appreciated the slower pace of life and the simple pleasures that came with it. She loved sitting outside and “watching the world go by.”
Above all, Nancy’s greatest joy in life was being a Grammy. She made the trip to Maine nearly every weekend to spend time with three of her grandchildren and loved spending time with her two granddaughters in Illinois as often as possible. It was important for her to be present for the big moments as well as all of the ordinary moments in between, as she knew her time was greatest spent with those she loved.
She lived a life with a career she enjoyed, the love of family, and an appreciation for each day. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew and loved her.
She is predeceased by her husband Brian Alexander and her parents Thomas and Martha Ray.
She leaves behind her daughters Tema Tylka and her husband Michael of Illinois, and Leah Pelletier and her husband Michael of Springvale, her grandchildren Hadley and Penelope Tylka and Maddix, Nora and Stella Pelletier, siblings Thomas Ray and his wife Linda of MO, John Ray and his wife Sue of CA, Sarah Ray and Richard Ray and his wife Melissa, all of MO and several nieces and a nephew.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
“Keep the dirty side down”
I will miss you “darlin” as Nancy would call her friends. She was always a lot of fun! Last great time I remember with her was in San Diego at AEI. We walked all over the place and after a few hours Nancy treated us to a rickshaw ride home through the back streets of the city. So many laughs.
