by Carolyn Townsend, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Pittsboro, 2016

Nancy Pyle Simons has served the Episcopal Church for more than sixty years with the Altar Guild, as a choir member and as a volunteer in the church office. At. St. Bartholomew’s she was editor of the Grapevine newsletter and worked on the church grounds with her sister, Jane Pyle, who maintained the cemetery. She worked with the parishioners and other churches in organizing and supporting Chatham Outreach Alliance (CORA), the food pantry in Pittsboro.

Nancy supported her husband during his active ministry as rector for parishes in Ohio, North Carolina and one in England, in addition to his thirty-two years of service as a Chaplain in the Army National Guard.

Nancy’s Dad was in the professional Army, stationed in many places, from Iowa State College, to the Pentagon, to Linz, Austria. While in Austria Nancy wanted to learn how to read music and was told to go to choir practice at one of the area churches. She chose the Methodist Church because if you memorized a bible verse you would receive a bible. She rode her bicycle to chapel service planning to arrive early to assist the Chaplain to pour the wine and ring the church bell for the service. Nancy’s parents were not members of a Church, but the Chaplain baptized Nancy at age 18, along with her sister Peggy.

Nancy and John Simons were married in Baton Rouge where his family was stationed. They lived in Missouri while John went to Drury University (then College) in Springfield going on to Bexley Hall seminary in Gambier, Ohio.

Nancy had learned a little about altar guild work when John came home during seminary with a bag of linens. Neither of them knew what they were, but “We read the green book and matched pictures and sizes on how to fold the linens and what each one was.” Fair linens were used and had to be washed by hand and ironed wet. Nancy laments scorching more than a few linens.

While living in Pershore, England, following John’s retirement, Nancy learned how to get to know people: talk to just one person. “I learned, she learned and I could introduce her to others.” Nancy knows the importance of getting to know each person in the church

John and Nancy moved to Pittsboro, North Carolina, after their year in England. Too young to retire, John served as interim rector at St. Timothy’s in Raleigh, as rector at St. John’s in Henderson, and finally as interim rector at St. Bartholomew’s in Pittsboro.

At St. Bartholomew’s Nancy served ten years with the Altar Guild. During her service in many parishes she had learned the rules/protocols of setting up the altar with reverence for the sacraments and the office of communion.

Nancy’s parting advice: “Be patient, kind and tolerant. People have a lot of different opinions— all opinions have value. Love one another.”