Nancie Nielsen Sutton
January 29, 1939 - December 12,2020 Carmel, California
Our hearts are missing our dear Nancie, beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend to us all. Nancie Nielsen Sutton passed away peacefully on December 12,2020, with her loved ones by her side.
She was born on January 29,1939 in Carmel, California to Walter and Gwendolyn Nielsen, along with her sisters Connie and Penny and brother Gregory. Their house was close to the beach and Nancie often went down there to enjoy the natural beauty as she did at their family cabin at White Rock. One outstanding adventure she had as a child was going to Denmark on a freighter, to meet her dad’s family and cousins.
Nancie attended Carmel schools, including Sunset School, where she was in the same class as her future husband of 62 years, Mervin Sutton. She graduated from Carmel High School in 1957 and then headed to Powers Modeling School in San Francisco, that led to a successful modeling career.
Nancie married Mervin in 1959 and Nancie worked tirelessly alongside her husband for forty years at the town’s treasured store, Nielsen Brother’s Market.
She participated fully in a number of Carmel’s organizations, including Yes for Carmel and catered in multiple of the city’s celebration-events. In addition, she was a charter member of Friends of Carmel Unified Schools.
She loved throwing a good party with her best friends. Among these was the New Year’s Eve “Basement Bash”, held in the basement of the original Nielsen Brother’s Market, on Dolores and 7th.
Nancie was a veracious reader, sometimes reading three books a week. She also loved taking ballet class, running and skiing. The family loved going to Tahoe annually with their close friends, the Faia’s. Yet, her greatest joy was spending time with her three grand children.
Nancie was known for putting other’s needs ahead of her own. She was also known for her strength. She was unafraid to speak her mind to all of us who loved her and sometimes her honesty was unfiltered. Yet we all knew that her tough exterior concealed her tender heart .
She is predeceased by her son Jeffrey and sister Connie. She is survived by her loving husband Mervin, daughter Daphne (Mark) Lewis, her son Christian, her grandchildren; Adam and Nathan Lewis and Joey Sutton, as well as her sister Penny and brother Gregory.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Carmel Youth Center, PO Box 2399, Carmel by the Sea, 93921.