Nancy M. Poole, Ed.D., 81, of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2026.
Nancy was preceded in death by her mother and father, Jane and Charles Morrow III. She was also preceded in death by her beloved husband of 58 years, Jay Dean Poole, with whom she shared a lifetime of love, family, learning, and adventure.
Born on June 14, 1945 a daughter of a World War II pilot, Nancy spent much of her childhood moving throughout the United States and abroad as her father’s military assignments changed. The family eventually settled in Savannah, Georgia, where she attended high school.
After graduation, Nancy enrolled at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. A proud member of Kappa Delta Sorority, she earned her undergraduate degree and met the love of her life, Jay Dean Poole. The couple married in 1967 and began a journey together that would span almost six decades.
Nancy dedicated her life to education and lifelong learning. She began her teaching career at Brandywine College, where she taught stenography and shorthand for more than 20 years. Following the institution’s acquisition by the Widener family in the 1990s, she continued her career at Widener University’s main campus in Chester, Pennsylvania. There, she earned her tenure as a professor and Chairperson in the Computer Science Department, and, driven by her passion for learning, earned her Doctor of Education while working full-time and raising a family.
An avid reader and scholar throughout her life, Nancy shared her love of books, learning, and curiosity with her children and grandchildren. She cherished time spent with family and especially enjoyed traveling with her husband, children, and grandchildren wherever life’s adventures led. Her stories, wisdom, kindness, encouragement, and signature sense of humor, always delivered with a splash of sarcasm, will be remembered fondly by all who knew and loved her.
Though Nancy and Jay are no longer with us, the family finds comfort in knowing they are together once again, continuing the adventures they loved to share.
Nancy is survived by her brother, Charles “Chucky” Morrow and his wife Ann, of Savannah, Georgia; her son, J. Scott Poole and his wife, Amy, of Wilmington, Delaware, and their children, Abigail and Bradford; her daughter, Jennifer Peckham and her husband, Greg, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania; and her son, Ryan Poole and his wife, Samantha, of Wilmington, Delaware, and their children, Kylie and Grayson.
The family would like to thank all who were involved with her care, especially the staff members at Harbor Chase and Sunrise of Wilmington, and Compassionate Care Hospice for their support, comfort, humor, and education.
A visitation will be held on Monday, August 17, beginning at 10am at McCrery & Harra Funeral Home, 3924 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE where a Celebration of Life will follow at 11am. Services will be livestreamed here: https://my.gather.app/remember/nancy-poole. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Brandywine Hundred Library.
