Gould, Nancy
GOULD, Nancy Duke
Nancy Duke Gould, age 90, died peacefully on Friday, November 17, 2023, after a brief hospital stay.
Nancy, the daughter of Clifford Anderson Duke and Mary Stofer Duke, was born and raised in Chattanooga, TN. She fondly remembers the freedom of her childhood neighborhood, where they had a clubhouse made from a piano crate and got up to all kinds of shenanigans. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Tennessee, where she was the president of Chi Omega Sorority. Always an independent spirit, Nancy moved to New York after college to work in advertising, and then came to Atlanta, where she was in Personnel at Rich's department store. She married Edward P. (Bud) Gould from Cleveland, TN; and over their long marriage they shared a love for travel, music, books, theater, and their family. Nancy got her Master's in Education at Georgia State University and began a career in Special Education with the Atlanta Speech School, first serving as a classroom teacher and then as Coordinator of the Learning Disabilities Department. She was deeply involved at First Presbyterian Church and was honored to be one of the first female Elders there.
Nancy was creative and clever, with a strength tempered with kindness and humor. These qualities made her a valuable asset to any organization she was part of. After retiring from the Speech School, she served several terms as their Board Chair and continued volunteering at church. She'll always be remembered for her lovely dried flower arrangements, her deep friendships, and for being a gracious and thoughtful hostess. She loved taking long walks on her beloved Litchfield beach, singing rounds with her family on car trips, and hopefully the ballet — she certainly attended hundreds of her daughters' recitals! After Buddy's death in 1997, Nancy became a world traveler - fishing for piranha in the Amazon, visiting the Great Wall, hiking Machu Picchu, going on safari and many more incredible adventures.
Nancy is survived by her sister, Connie Jones; her daughters, Fran Landess (Bart), and Mary Hershey (Ben); and her grandchildren, Elinor, Cliff, Freddy, Lee, Van, Joe and Kate. She loved her family more than anything and shared her love of travel by taking them on all kinds of adventures. She was thrilled at the recent birth of Sidney, her first great-grandchild.
Fran and Mary are indebted to the staff at Canterbury Court and to her caregivers Surrender, Glennis, Sondra, Joy and Pam, who always made sure Nancy felt cared for and loved. In her last few days, Nancy remained a gracious hostess, chatting with her hospital nurses about their families and keeping her daughters smiling. At one point, Nancy looked at all of us gathered around her and said, "hasn't this been fun?"
Nancy will be remembered at a memorial service on January 6, 2023 at 2:00 PM, in the Winship Chapel of First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. The family has designated the Atlanta Speech School (3160 Northside Pkwy. NW, Atlanta, GA 30327) for memorial contributions.
