Nancy (Felter) Poland

Nancy (Felter) Aubrey Poland

April 22, 1926 - November 4, 2024

Born in Nyack, New York, 3 years before the Great Depression, Nancy (née Elsie) was the daughter of a confectioner, Leonard Fitch Felter, and his young wife, Margaret Hilda Crawford. She, and her seven siblings and half siblings, lived in a tiny house on Midland Avenue in downtown Nyack, around the corner from the candy factory where their father worked. She often spoke of her happy childhood - no money, lots of freedom. Stealing crabapples off the neighbors’ tree. Getting a single orange for Christmas, and knowing it was the best gift ever. Adoring her first dog - Spotty.

Her parents both died in the TB epidemic of the early 30s, first her father in 1929 and then her mother in 1934. The orphans were separated, and lost to each other.

After over a year in foster homes (where her first name was changed several times), Nancy, and her next-younger brother, were adopted by Edwin and Gladys Aubrey. Edwin served as President of Crozer Theological Seminary from 1944-49. Among his students were Martin Luther King, Jr., and Samual D. Proctor (who worked, along with his wife, Bessie, in the Aubrey home as butler and cook). Nancy remembered helping Bessie in the kitchen each night, making the family dinners.

Nancy enrolled at Swarthmore College in 1946. She was a popular co-ed, with many friends and dates, but when she saw Burdette Poland across the cafeteria, her life’s course was determined.

WW2 ensued, and Burdette served in the Navy, stationed in New Orleans. He and Nancy were married on September 9, 1949. Burdette earned his PhD in History at Princeton, and the young couple began their lives as junior Faculty, then Faculty - first at Denison College, then the University of Nebraska, and finally Pomona College. Their three children were born in New Jersey (Bruce), Ohio (Amy), and Nebraska (Ted), respectively. Burdette’s teaching career settled them in Claremont, CA, until his retirement to Santa Rosa, CA, in 1989. Genealogical research allowed Nancy to reconnect with one of her lost siblings, Warren Felter, and her long distance family increased to include his daughter, Amy Felter Bolt.

Nancy loved animals - especially dogs and horses - and considered them family, right alongside her kids. Airedales were the “siblings” for the first 50 years, until she discovered a passion for rescuing Greyhounds - adopting 7 of them in all. She was an accomplished horsewoman, keeping horses starting in the late 1960s, until the mid 90s.

An avid reader, thinker, life-long Democrat with a wicked sense of humor; a steadfast friend and neighbor, she dedicated her life to others. She lived simply herself so that she could be generous to her children. Her beloved husband Burdette, and her youngest child, Ted, both preceded her in death in 2018.

Strong, active, alert, engaged and curious through the turning of her 98th year, she suffered a series of strokes on October 28. She passed at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Rosa, on November 4th, 2024.

Nancy is mourned by her children and their spouses: Bruce Poland (Jodi), Amy Poland Bates (Bates), Catherine Poland Pray (Jim); her 4 grandchildren: Tyler, Eliza, Jake, and Tom; and her two great-grandchildren Leo and Blake. She will never be forgotten by her friends and neighbors, especially her incredible neighbor Linda Smithson, and her best friend Corinne Faulconer.

A memorial will be held at Fernwood Memorial Park, date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, please send remembrances to Greyhound Friends for Life (https://www.greyhoundfriendsforlife), in her honor.

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