Nancy Marie Tortorano-Jones

Nancy Marie Tortorano-Jones passed away at home in Fayetteville, Tenn., Jan. 2, 2026 after a long illness. A beloved homemaker, business partner, child-care specialist and teacher, her greatest joy in life was her family. She was 84.

Born June 24, 1941 in Suffern, N.Y., she spent the majority of her working life caring for and shaping the minds of preschool children throughout Madison County, Ala. She loved them as her own and had lasting relationships with the children and their parents. Nancy was awarded a Child Development Associate Credential from the Child Development Association, and over the years worked at the UAW DaimlerChrysler CDC, Huntsville Hospital CDC and various other child-care facilities.

“I have always loved working with young children,” she once wrote. ”They are our most valuable resource. I feel special knowing I am able to contribute to their development by being a positive influence. Every day I strive to become a better teacher. … I can’t imagine ever doing anything else.”

Nancy, preceded in death by her son, William Louis Moreno Jr., of Buford, Ga., is survived by her daughter, Vicki Richardson and her husband, Dale, of Fayetteville Tenn., and their two sons, Josh Richardson and his daughter, Sophia, of Fayetteville, and Daniel and his wife, Meredith, of Athens, Ala.; her daughter, Michele Myers, and her husband, Richard, of Monahans, Texas; her daughter, Melissa Carpenter, and her husband, Nick, and their children Robbie, Gabby, Nicholas, and Cameron of Bluffton, S.C.; her sister, Barbara Chandler of Athens, Ala.; her brother, Vince and his wife, Pat, of Spring Hill, Fla.; her brother, David, and his wife, Gloria, of Gulf Breeze, Fla.; her brother, John and his fiancé, Stacey, of Navarre, Fla.; along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends.

The oldest of five children in a close-knit family from Rockland County, N.Y., Nancy was raised in a loving home where family time included joyful holidays and frequent family excursions to places as varied as Washington, D.C., Detroit, Mich., upstate New York and New York City. She brought that ideal of a warm home life to the family she raised in her adult years. Her greatest joy was spending time with her cherished family.

A 1959 graduate of Spring Valley High School in Spring Valley, N.Y., she had an early interest in nursing and teaching, likely due to caring for younger siblings. Other than caring for her own siblings, her involvement with children goes back to her first babysitting job when she was 10 years old. That summer she cared for a family of five children ranging in age from six months to six years. Over the years she worked on a pediatric ward, as a cheerleading instructor, a Cub Scout leader, a Red Cross volunteer, an infant/ toddler/preschool teacher, a teacher’s aide and youth athletic director.

Long after raising her own children, she furthered her education at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama A&M University and several Christian colleges. For well over 40 years she took classes, workshops and seminars to increase her knowledge in child development.

As an Army wife, she lived in a variety of locations, including Texas, Alabama, and Germany on two different deployments of her husband. But she spent the majority of her adult life in Huntsville, Ala., and later Hazel Green, Ala., where, among other things, she helped run her husband’s businesses.

Nancy, always eager to learn, was an engaging conversationalist who was witty and quick to laugh and always courteous. While great with people, Nancy also had an abiding love of animals.

The world is a lesser place without Nancy in it, and her extended family has lost one of its pillars, an unshakeable, dependable, loving, and beautiful woman. The fond memories of those left behind are the living legacy of the departed, and no doubt there are many such joyous memories of Nancy and how she made everyone’s life better. She will be with us whenever we think about the joy we shared.

The funeral mass is Jan. 10 at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Fayetteville, Tenn. Visitation is Jan. 9th from 5-7 p.m. at Hazel Green Funeral Home, Hazel Green, Ala..

Flowers can be sent to the funeral home or a donation can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.

Hazel Green Funeral Home is honored to serve the family.