Nancy Ann Vidal

Nancy Ann Vidal passed away on October 20, 2018 at her home in Manorville, NY surrounded by her family. She is survived by her mother Judith Vaccaro, her husband Carlos Vidal, her children Matthew Vidal, Jill Ann Vidal, and Jennifer Vidal along with her son Matthew, her sister JoAnn Froese and her husband John Froese, her brother Michael Vaccaro and his wife Carol Vaccaro, her nieces, Lynn Townsend and her husband Michael Townsend along with their children Taylor and Alyssa, Caryn Hess and her husband Matt Hess along with their children Jonathan, Mason, and Jake, Suzanne Vaccaro, and her nephew Michael Vaccaro and his wife Brittany Vaccaro.

Nancy was born on October 19, 1953 in the Bronx, N.Y. to Michael Vaccaro and Judith Walsh. After growing up in Brentwood, N.Y. Nancy went on to attend SUNY Brockport receiving a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Nancy’s heart and soul were devoted to the youth in the community. In 1981, just six years after graduating from Brentwood high school, Nancy returned to her hometown to serve as the Director of the Brentwood Youth Development Corporation.  Her primary focus was to ensure that the children who needed care the most—from broken homes, in and out of juvenile hall, underprivileged, and those without a family received it. This work was difficult but it was her passion. Fighting for others became the cornerstone for who she was. In 1990, Nancy expanded the scope of her fight to those outside of her immediate community taking the position as the Director of the Islip Youth and Family Counseling Program. For 30 years she helped children and families navigate some of life’s most challenging circumstances—she was their angel just as she has been for her own family.  Bolstered by grace and resilience, Nancy was a pillar in the community and a source of hope for those who struggled to see the light.

While tending to the needs of others, Nancy dealt with challenges of her own.  Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and courageously beat it only to see the cancer return again in 2012. While many may have given up facing a similar misfortune, Nancy’s resilience outweighed all of the challenges that breast cancer presented and she defeated the disease. Unimaginably, four years later Nancy received the news that her cancer had returned only this time her fight would be against pancreatic cancer.

Although battling cancer for many years Nancy never let this disease define who she was or her outlook on life.  Courageous, Resilient, Selfless, Compassionate, Graceful-that is who Nancy was and will always be. Whether it was fighting to honor and respect the lives of those in the community or the perils that come with a deadly disease Nancy’s fight will always live on.