Nancy L. Eaton

Nancy L. Eaton, 72 of Reading, passed away on Sunday, September 22, 2019 at the Sawtelle Family Hospice Home in Reading following a lengthy battle with cancer.

She was the daughter of the late George Eaton and Susie (Parker) Eaton of Methuen, MA, and is survived by her two sisters, Diane (Russell) Lethbridge of Lake Placid, Florida and Susan and  her husband Al Boush of Epsom, NH, 4 nieces, 4 nephews, 21 great nieces and nephews, and several cousins.

Nancy was raised in Methuen and graduated from Tenney High School in 1964. She attended Stenography school and became a court reporter in Boston and went on to organize her own business taking many dispositions as well as serving in the courts.  She received her BA from Northeastern University.  This eventually led to her last career with CART (Communication Access Real-time Translation) when it was a relatively new field.  She provided CART for deaf and hard of hearing students at the various universities in her area; most recently at MIT and Tufts.  It is not possible to estimate the number of students for which she provided CART but many of her students credit her for their academic success.

Due to a lack of CART providers, Nancy designed and conducted CART trainings for court reporters who were considering transitioning to CART.  She was generous with her time and knowledge and, although she always had a full schedule, she still managed to find time to provide many hours of CART pro bono.  She also contributed to the profession through her involvement in the Massachusetts Court Reporters Association, the National Court Reporters Association and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  In 2015, she received the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outstanding Service Provider Award “In recognition of exemplary service and generous contribution of many hours of time in recruiting and organizing CART providers for the biennial Northeast Cochlear Implant Conventions.”                                                                                               

Outside of work, Nancy loved to learn and experience culture. She was an avid reader and a frequent patron of the Reading Library.  She also enjoyed doing research on her family lineage and background. Her love for reading and history led her to travel to many countries.  In recent years she visited Japan, Korea, Thailand, China, Tibet, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Russia, Germany, England, and most recently Greece, much of this travel being done with her nephew Stephen and his family.  Additionally, as a life time member of the Reading Gun Club, she served as president for many years  and participated in competitions both in the US and overseas. 

Nancy also served her town of Reading by joining the Conservation Commission in 1994 and was chair from July 1995 to September 2001, and then was a regular member through June 2003.  She joined the Reading Open Land Trust (ROLT) board and served from 2004-2006.  She was on the town's Open Space and Recreation Plan Task Force in 2000 - 2001.  She did an extraordinary amount of research on town owned land, locating deeds and establishing how each parcel was purchased and which town division controlled the land.  Nancy was also a member of Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions.   

Services will be private and burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery, Methuen.  Arrangements are by the Dewhirst & Boles Funeral Home, 80 Broadway, Methuen.  To leave an online condolence, please visit Nancy’s tribute page at www.dewhirstbolesfuneral.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Nancy L. Eaton, please visit our floral store.