And from another friend, who met Nancy when she first came to New York, “I went to the [Shabbos] meal not knowing anyone. There were probably fifteen to twenty people at this meal, all of whom were close friends. I remember being very nervous and shy, with no one talking to me at first. Everyone pretty much ignored me—except Nancy. She was the first person to introduce herself and chat with me. She was so friendly and warm. She then introduced me to everyone in the apartment and made sure to include me in the conversation, which for a shy person like myself is pretty much the nicest thing you can do. In all truthfulness, I bet she wouldn’t even remember that particular meal. She probably would be amazed that I thought it was such an incredible thing that she did, mostly because I really think it was just her nature to be warm and friendly. But it really was a great thing she did and I have never forgotten it. That was truly Nancy’s gift—being a great friend, and anyone who knew her was lucky to benefit from her character.”

Nancy had this uncanny ability to identify the essential quality of the people she met. There was very little room in her life for deceitful or insincere people. Each friend of hers that we met exuded an aura of simplicity, sincerity and honesty. They were all genuine, and they all loved Nancy because they knew that what was important in her life was not what can be seen with the eyes, but rather relationships and truths, which can be felt only with the heart.

People Nancy hadn’t seen in years remember her with such clarity that it seemed as if they had seen each other only the day before. Casual meetings developed into long-lasting friendships. Nancy was not easily forgotten. We received the following e-mail from a casual acquaintance of hers: “Nancy and I belong to the same bike club in New York. In the three years that I saw her in and around the city, I do not remember ever having a conversation with her longer than a few seconds. Nancy would say, ‘Hi.’ I would reply, ‘Hi.’ She would smile and I would remember it for the rest of the day. It’s hard to believe that on any given day in this crazy, hectic city a person can be so affected by a nice, warm, genuine smile from such a pretty little lady. She’s a special girl with a special gift. I only wish that, one day, when I have a daughter, she will walk through life and brighten the daily lives of so many people without ever speaking to them, much like your Nancy does.”

In the summer of 1994, Nancy decided to take a Backroads Tours bike trip out west. Although she’d had a bicycle as a child, riding was not something Nancy had seemed interested in pursuing. But the lure of traveling the back roads of the West on a guided bike tour intrigued her—particularly the seven-day trip in Utah and northern Arizona through Bryce, Zion, and the Grand Canyon National Parks. After that tour, biking became her passion.