Nancy Carol Babbitt

Nancy Carol Nelson Hill Babbitt of Beaufort, North Carolina, passed peacefully at PruittHealth-Crystal Coast in Beaufort on February 21, 2026, surrounded by family, with the melody of old hymns, Elvis, and Patsy Cline playing in the background.

A Celebration of Life for Nancy will be held Friday, March 6, at 2:00 PM, at Ann Street UMC in Beaufort, officiated by Rev. Eddie Hill and Rev. Dena White. Friends will be received during a family visitation at 1:00 PM, prior to the service, in the Eure Building on the church campus. For those unable to attend in person, a livestreamed version of the service will be available below. 

Nancy was born in Beaufort on November 13, 1937, to Grace Inez Taylor of Atlantic, NC and Thomas Harold Nelson of Marshallberg, NC. Growing up as an only child in Atlantic, Nancy cherished her many childhood friendships and graduated from Atlantic High School in 1956.

After her first marriage and raising her four children, Nan, as her kids affectionately called her, decided to continue her education at Carteret Technical College to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. After working as an LPN for years, she returned to school to earn her Associate Degree in Nursing from Craven Community College.

Nancy’s wit! There are stories galore about Nancy’s hilarious expressions, created on the fly. If anyone spent more than 30 minutes with her and wasn’t laughing, they weren’t paying attention. A friend remembers her as one of the most natural comedians she had ever known and she often made everyone laugh without even trying or cracking a smile!

Nan’s children kept her one-liners alive through the years as they’ve hilariously repeated them. When family members invited her to join them in a luxurious box seat to watch a Charlotte Hornets basketball game, Nancy promptly quipped, “I’d rather be in a ditch with my leg broke.” Obviously, she wasn’t a sports fan. And the family is still talking about the wedding story of one of her nephews when she finally realized she was wearing her shoes on the wrong feet, saying in that distinct Down East brogue, “Well, son, no wonder my feet are killin’ me.”

Nancy was known far and wide for her fabulous culinary skills and could probably have taught Paula Deen a few tricks in the kitchen! She often sifted through Southern Living cookbooks, although she was also known for going off script. Her kids would ask her for a recipe, but they quickly learned they should watch Nan actually make the recipe to see firsthand what else she might add, which way she stirred her famous fudge, or how she held her mouth while mixing! Nancy was always making food and desserts to gift to someone, or to donate to the church and school bake sales, where Nan’s goodies were always sold out before the events even began! But preparing the perfect meal and dessert also meant serving the feast on lovely dishes (she’d cringe at the thought of serving holiday meals on paper plates).

While Nancy may have been raised in the small, remote fishing village of Atlantic, she eventually saw the world. Some of her explorations included kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland, riding a camel in Egypt, walking on the Wall of China, marveling at the wonders at Stonehenge and the Pyramids, touring Buckingham Palace and the Queen Mary, and many other adventures in her travels through Europe, China, and Egypt, as well as much of our nation, including Alaska.

Of all her accomplishments, Nancy was most proud of raising four respectful, responsible, hard-working, educated, and morally grounded children. She also adored and held great pride in all her grandchildren.

Nancy was a member of Atlantic United Methodist Church for much of her life, until her relocation to Beaufort where she became a member of Ann Street UMC. She insisted on her kids being in Sunday school and church every week with a simple rule: no church means no play.

In addition to her parents, Nancy was preceded in death by her son Thomas Larry Hill (Lori Beth); her son-in-law, Joey Owens; her ex-husband, Bruce Babbitt; her sisters, Mary Ruth Potter, Dottie Lynch, and Margaret Willis of Beaufort; and her sister-in-law, Marie Hill.

Her loving survivors include her children Cynthia Hill Johnson (Roger Dail) of Kinston, NC; Warren “Charlie” Hill of Kinston; and Jeannie Hill Owens of Beaufort; her grandchildren, Megan Hill Vangelist (Jason) of Newport, NC; Christopher Johnson (Sommer) of New Bern, NC; Hunter Hill of Richmond, VA; Emily Owens (Alex) of Charlotte, NC; Ayden Hill of Richmond; Robert Johnson of Raleigh, NC; Chaz Sweet of San Antonio, TX; Alexis Hill Bent (Joey) of New Bern; and Caleb Mendoza of Atlantic; her great-grandchildren, Brailey Edwards (Christian) of Washington, NC; Rachel Vangelist of Morehead City, NC; Jason Logan Vangelist of Newport; Bella Mendoza of Atlantic; and Love Bent and Emory Bent of New Bern; and her great-great- granddaughter, Kennedy Edwards of Washington, NC. Nancy is also survived by two sisters, Betsy Bykirk and Nancy Grubb, of Arizona; her cousin Cathy (Hank) Swantkowski of Pennsylvania; one of her best friends and sister-in-law, Lura Salter Hill of Atlantic; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family is also very grateful for Nan’s friend and caretaker, Teana Tosto, and Tammy Davis, a caring family friend, as well as the staff and medical team at PruittHealth for their excellent care and attention. Although dementia may have presented some hurdles in recent years, Nan continued to light up the world with laughter and love.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Atlantic Community Cemetery Fund. Please make checks payable to the fund and mail to: Atlantic Cemetery Fund, c/o Wanda Gaskill, Atlantic, NC 28511.

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noefs.net

Arrangements by Noe Funeral Service, Inc. of Beaufort, NC.