Nancy Leigh (Sheppard) Manzano, 54, died at her home on June 20, surrounded by her loving family, following a 16-month battle with brain cancer. Nancy is survived by her loving husband of 31 years, Patrick, and her triplets Alyssa, Bryan and Corey. The love she shared with this family was special. They were her rock, her pride and joy, and will be her legacy.

She was an exceptional mother, attuned to the individuality of each triplet, and nurtured their differences. She allowed them to reach for their own destinies while giving them a fantastic foundation. Nancy and Patrick made sure all three played musical instruments, participated in sports, and traveled (often overseas) to expand their horizons and visit their grandmother. The family’s most recent vacation together was a long-planned return trip to Hawaii last year.

She is also survived by her siblings Steven Sheppard (Rhonda) of Grand Haven, Michigan; Kathryn Marshall (Jeff) of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Barry Sheppard of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania; Karen Roth of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; Judith McGovern (Kevin) of Ellicott City, Maryland; Lorraine Holm of Sarasota, Florida; Susan Draus (John) of Coatesville, Pennsylvania; and David Sheppard (Mary) of Wilmington, Delaware.

Nancy is predeceased by her parents, Betty Jane and Milton Sheppard of Glen Mills, her father-in-law Asante Manzano of the Philippines, and mother-in-law Carla Habaraken of the Netherlands.

Family was very important to Nancy. She hosted large, weekly Sunday dinners for her extended
family and loved and doted on her many nieces and nephews. She vacationed in Bethany
Beach, DE for many years with extended family.

An incredibly intelligent lady, Nancy always shined academically. A 1984 graduate of Garnet Valley High School, Nancy was a member of the marching band color guard, National Honor Society, German Club, and Foreign Exchange Club. According to dear friends Leslie Hinderliter and Della (Sitaris) Terris, Nancy’s nickname in high school was “99”, because of her good grades. Nancy earned her C.P.A. and B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from Drexel University in 1989 (Summa Cum Laude), where she was a member of the University Chorus, Beta Gamma Sigma, (business honor society), Pi Nu Epsilon (music honor society), and Beta Alpha Psi (accounting honor society). She continued her education with an M.S. in Taxation from Widener University in 2006.

Nancy worked in tax accounting throughout her career, often setting up, reworking or dismantling entire tax departments as Tax Director at KPMG, Bank of America (formerly MBNA), 21st Century/Farmer’s Insurance. Her last position was with Vertex, Inc. In each position she earned high respect from her colleagues. Nancy was considered a subject matter expert in taxation and wrote extensively on the subject.

Despite a challenging career and raising triplets, Nancy’s impeccable organizational skills meant she still found time for creative hobbies. Her love of singing rang out as a long-time alto member
of the West Chester Area Community Chorus. Nancy was a devoted fan of puzzles: Sudoku and jigsaw were her favorites, and she took photos of each completed jigsaw, completing her last puzzle just days before her passing.

Many people do not know that Nancy’s original college major was interior design, and she maintained that passion by designing and decorating a major home renovation, as well as helping others with decoration and craft projects, too. She enjoyed sewing and made many of her own decor items. Every Christmas (her favorite holiday) Nancy lovingly decorated her home with a massive Dickens-type village around her entire family room on her own handmade landscapes, to create a festive scene for her family and guests. And Nancy’s ability to find everyone the perfect birthday gift was legendary -- whether it was hand-crafted or tracked down on ebay, she had a special gift for giving gifts.

Nancy Manzano, loving mother, wife, sister, friend and colleague, leaves an enormous hole in the world of everyone she knew. Her life was impressive, her love freely given, and we will forever miss her.

A virtual, formal memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 27 at 2:00 pm, information below. There will be time for attendees to share a memory or photo about Nancy, if you wish. If you would rather write your memory, Patrick asks that you post on Nancy’s Facebook page, or email NancyManzanoMemorial@gmail.com.

In June 2021, we hope to invite all to a “Celebration of Life” at a local venue to be determined. We will use social media to inform everyone of the date, time and place of the celebration. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity (1-800-Habitat), a charity that Nancy supported for many years.

Nancy (Sheppard) Manzano Memorial Service Saturday June 27, 2020 (If you don't see the live stream refresh the page as it may not start exactly at 2 p.m.)

Live stream can be found at  https://www.facebook.com/RigbyFuneralHome/posts/2935169249944942