Obituary of Nancy E. Begin

A sporting Life has ended. Noted Wildlife artist and life-long Topsfield resident, Nancy Eleanor Killam Begin passed away on November 9 at Masconomet Healthcare Center at the age of 95. She was the wife of retired airline pilot, Donald Begin, and is survived by her two sisters, Margaret Frost of Topsfield and Clara Raffensperger of Newark, DE and her three children, Christy and Michael Stusse of West Barnstable, Jeffory and Elizabeth Begin of Mount Dora, Florida and Andrea Dinardo of Peabody as well as six Grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Nancy had an amazing life. Born and brought up on the Killam Farm, now the site for Masconomet Regional High School, she inherited her family’s traditions of farming, hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation. Her many accomplishments are 70 years as a volunteer, Executive Board member and First woman President of the Topsfield Fair. At the age of 50 she became a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston. She was the first woman appointed to the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a position she held for 27 years. She was the co-creator of the Topsfield Farmers Market as well as the Salt Box Gallery. Nancy was the first woman voted Sportswoman of the Year by the Essex County Sportsman League. Nancy was also the recipient of the Francis W. Sargent Conservation Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the conservation of natural resources in the Commonwealth. In 2011, in recognition to her years of service to Mass Fisheries and Wildlife, the Nancy E. Begin Newbury Marsh Overlook on Hay Street in Newbury was dedicated in her honor. Private Funeral services will be held at the grave site at the family burial lot in Killam Curtis Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy and as a tribute to an amazing life, donations can be made in Nancy’s memory to the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation, a Commonwealth-based 502©(3) organization that supports the work of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife by assisting with the funding of Mass Wildlife’s wildlife, inland fisheries and endangered species habitat conservation, management and restoration projects associated land acquisition and educational/outreach initiatives. Donations can be mailed to Mass Outdoor Heritage Foundation P.O. Box 47 Westborough, MA 01581 or made on line at http://massoutdoorheritage.org