On the morning of Tuesday, July 27, Nancy Fink (the spouse of HCH President & CEO Jeff Singer) died following a lengthy illness. Nancy was a woman of great strength, conviction, and determination; a wife and mother with a deep love of her family; and an accomplished researcher and educator for The Johns Hopkins University. The entire HCH community mourns her loss. The notice below ran in the July 29 edition of the Baltimore Sun.
FINK, Nancy E.
On July 27, 2010, NANCY E. FINK, wife of Jeff Singer, mother of Max and Zachary Singer, sister of Jeanne Fink Hofferberth and the late Louisa Fink Kahn. Also bereft are Stephan Kahn; Nick Kahn and Kim Tran; Ted, Kristin, and Daniel Kahn; Cindy and Jessica Montero; Bud Kahn; Scott Hofferberth and Chris Szczypinski; Stu Singer and Robin Mace; Robin Singer, Judy Berger, Emma and Leah Berger-Singer; Wendy Singer. David, Aaron, and Elizabeth Lynn; and Visal Duong. Nancy was a widely admired public health researcher and educator at The Johns Hopkins University.
A memorial service will be held on September 5 at 2:00PM at Health Care for the Homeless; remembrances and photographs can be emailed to nancyremembered@gmail.comfor inclusion. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be sent to The Nancy Fink Fund of Health Care for the Homeless, 421 Fallsway, Baltimore, MD 21202.
Dear Jeff and Family,
I am so very sad to hear about the loss of your beloved wife. Her love for you and your boys, and all of her wonderful work have created a legacy that will carry on forever. I will be keeping you and your family in my prayers. May the love of those around you help you through the days ahead.
In Sympathy,
Mary, Gerry, Aidan, Eoin and Maeve
I, along with her cousins Elise Tom and Louise Korfmacher, are devastated to hear of Nancy’s death.
I have fond memories of growing up with Nancy back in Baltimore, and the many family times we shared together.
She was a brave and intelligent woman, and we will miss her dearly.
Our prayers are with Jeff and the boys and the rest of her family.
Sincerely,
Charles F. Freitag
Nancy’s Cousin in Colorado
Dear Jeff and Family,
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Nancy. She put up a courageous fight against a terrible disease. I am certain the support and love of her family and friends gave her a certain peace. May the support and caring of those who love you, along with the memories you hold so deeply within your heart, give you strength and comfort.
With sincere sympathy
Sherry Roe
Jeff, Boys and other relatives,
What I will remember most about Nancy is her determination not to let her phsyical situation get her down. She was a Junior Bridesmaid in my wedding in 1961!
She has always had a happy outlook on life and I know she was the “anchor” for her family.
I am her cousin – we grew up together in Baltimore – and as a family of aunts, uncles and cousins, we had wonderful times together.
Most sincere condolences go out to you, Jeff, and the rest of the family.
Sincerely,
Louise Korfmacher and family
Dear Jeff and family, We are so sorry to hear of your loss and are praying for you during this time of sorrow.
Sincerely,
Chris, Debbie, Cee-Jay, and Eric
Dear Jeff and Family, May God continue to sheild and Protect all of you during this time. My most Sincere condolence go out to all of you.
God Bless!
Jeff I am sorry to hear about the loss of your wife. My sympathy and prayers go out to you and your family. Please know that your wifes legacy will help keep the memory of her alive. I am sure she was a wonderful person and that is how she shall be remembered. Peace & Blessings
Jeff, I was so sorry to hear of the passing of your wife. A loss as this is shocking but the good wishes of your many friends and admirers hopefully will bring you some measure of comfort.
I began working with Nancy at Hopkins after graduating from Notre Dame College in 1977. Over the course of our 33 year friendship I was constantly in awe of her many accomplishments. Nancy proved to a wonderful role model for me. I was determined to be just like her! Her work ethic, her calm and friendly demeanor, not to mention her clothes and her car (BMW?), what’s not to emulate? , That however, would prove to be an exercise in futility. I quickly found out that our Nancy was a true original, and sadly, as we now know, irreplaceable. When I look back on the brightest and darkest moments of my life, I sought out my wise friend for a word of encouragement or a good dose of shared laughter , especially when I would regale her with stories of the latest antics of my boisterous brood. After I moved to Florida In the mid-eighties I knew I could pick up the phone and she would be there for me. In the last 2 years my daughter Kathleen, now in her 4th year at the U. of MD. Medical School came to know Nancy well, and looked to her as a respected mentor. Nancy never forgot my birthday! I would usually be in Ocean City with my 4 children visiting family when the big day (August 8th) rolled around. When I came home I’d go through the mail and look for the envelope with Nancy’s distinctive handwriting,and always entertaining, card and message. I would then go out and search for an equally unique card with the determined intention of mailing it before Sept. 5th. Needless to say, I would, address it and not have a stamp, put a stamp on it and lose it on the way to the post office or put it aside, never to be seen again. I was confident though, that Nancy, being Nancy, would certainly realize that minus a tangible acknowledgement, I was certainly thinking of her. On September 5, on what would have been Nancy’s 58th birthday, instead of a card, ( which I’m certain I’d misplace), I will honor Nancy by attending her memorial service. Once again, I am confident that Nancy, being Nancy, will somehow know that I will never, ever, forget her . On the morning of July 28th, I learned that Nancy had died. Shocked and saddened,I decided to keep busy by taking my 3 nephews to the beach in Ocean City. where I was visiting my family. As I stood at the water’s edge watching them, I looked at the crowds of people up and down the beach thinking, “why Nancy, why now?”, and finally, “I hope wherever she is, she is okay”. The boys and I then went to sit under our umbrella to have a snack, just then something interesting occurred. Now allow me to digress, when I first met Nancy in 1977 and really began to know her, I learned that she was extremely passionate about all things Springsteen. Not realizing how important the ‘Boss’ was to my beloved boss, I made an unfortunate comment about Springteen’s music that did not sit well with Ms. Fink. For the next 33 years, whenever I had the misfortune to be within earshot of a Springsteen song ,I would automatically think of Nancy. It’s true! I’m certain that will be the case for the rest of my life!! As the boys and I were heading back into the ocean, suddenly, from out of the blue, I heard Springsteen’s ‘Jungleland’ blaring from somewhere on the beach! I thought I was imagining it, but I wasn’t ! I looked to the sky and smiled. I couldn’t figure out where ‘that awful music’ was coming from but little did it matter. I was instantly impressed with Nancy’s quick response, (she was, after all, always super-efficient!), That annoying barrage from her beloved ‘Boss ‘was her way of telling me that not only was she okay ,but as far as Springsteen was concerned she had gotten the last laugh! ‘Jungleland’, indeed!. Nancy, I regret that I never had a chance to say goodbye. Living in Florida and trying to juggle the ongoing chaos in my own family kept me from staying in regular contact with my dear friend. I am reassured however that Nancy, because you were Nancy, would have certainly understood.
I will never forget you and I will miss you forever, Love, your crazy friend and former colleague, Kacki