Nancy (Hannah Maude) Carney, a longtime resident of Salem, NH and most recently of Freedom, NH, passed away Monday, May 8th with her beloved family by her side.

Nancy was born in Cambridge, MA. She was the daughter of Ken and Sarah Whelpley of Cleveland, Ohio but raised by her loving parents Arley and Mary (Dolly) Ambler. Nancy grew up and was educated in Lexington, MA. She graduated from Lexington High School and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Emerson College in Boston, MA. During her freshman year at Emerson, Nancy met Michael Carney and the two of them were inseparable for the next 67 years.

Nancy and Mike moved their growing family to Salem, NH in 1962 and set down deep community roots. Nancy and Mike were an active volunteer team and worked for more than 50 years to make Salem a better community. Nancy won the Nice Gal of the Year Award from the Salem Board of Trade in 1975. She and Mike jointly won the Chief John P. Ganley Community Service Award in 2009 and in 2016 Nancy received the Mother of Pearl Award from the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce.

Nancy was a longtime champion of the power of education. When her children were young, she served as a substitute teacher in the Salem School District. She switched her focus to lifelong education in the mid-1970s, helping adults obtain their General Education Development Test, High School Diplomas, US Citizenship, English as Second Language and created learning programs for those with developmental disabilities. Nancy ultimately served as the Director of Adult Education for the Salem School District for 22 years. In 2021 the school district named the continuing education program for those with developmental disabilities as the Nancy Carney Pathways for Extended Learning Program in her honor. Nancy was called out of retirement to become the Executive Director of the  Salem Chamber of Commerce and finished her working career as a Realtor.

Nancy served on many local and national boards including Cub Pack 404, Haigh School PTA, Dollars for Scholars, Salem Visiting Nurses, Salemhaven, Salem Fine Arts , The Town and Country Playhouse, Salem Grange,  Business and Professional Women's Association and the New England Adult Education Council. And for many years Nancy could be found serving alongside Mike as Assistant Moderators on Election Day.

She will be deeply missed by her children, Nanci of Silver Lake, NH, Michael Jr and wife Jill of Salem, NH, Bill of Freedom, NH, Rob and wife Diana of Mattapoisett, MA, and her "4th son" Enrique Lopez of Mexico City, Mexico; her 9 grandchildren, Tim (Aly), Matt, Mary (Justin), Meghan (Matthew), Lauren, Ryan, Sean, Kaleigh (Kara)  and Dylan; and her 5 great grandchildren, Connor, Asher, Briley, Amelia, and Anders.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 62 years, Michael Carney who passed away in March 2020, her parents and her son in law Michael Groch. Since Michael Carney passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic,  joint services will be held for Mike and Nancy.

Visitation for Nancy and Mike will be on Sunday,  June 11th  from  3:00-7:00 PM at Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St., Salem, NH.

The Funeral Mass will be Monday, June 12th at 11:00 AM at St. Joseph Church, 40 Main St. Salem, NH followed by burial of the urns in Pine Grove Cemetery, Salem, NH. Please arrive at church by 10:45 AM.

In lieu of flowers and in honor of Nancy's lifelong commitment to education, memorial contributions in Nancy's name may be sent to The Nancy Carney Memorial Scholarship, c/o Salem Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 297, Salem, NH 03079 or to the Nancy Carney Pathways For Extended Learning Program, C/O Salem School District 38 Geremonty Dr, Salem,  NH 03079.