GENEVA - Nancy Ann Fennelly Pavanello, 64, passed away on August 7, 2021 in Geneva with her loving husband and daughter by her side after a valiant battle with brain cancer. She was born on July 14, 1957 in New York City, daughter to the late Joseph and Thelma Jacobsen Fennelly.

Nancy is survived by her loving husband, André and adoring daughter, Emma, and dutiful and loving brother, Bob, and his family. In addition to her parents, Nancy was predeceased by her sister, Susan, in 2002 and her brother, Bill, in 2015. 

Born in New York City,Nancy was raised in Shorts Hills, New Jersey before her family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. She graduated from South Mecklenburg High School class of 1975 and from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelors of Science degree in Industrial Relations. She also received a Masters degree with Academic Honors in Counseling from Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland. After graduating UNC, she moved to Atlanta to work for AT&T/Lucent, now Nokia. She then moved to Boston in 1987 to work as a marketing strategist for Digital Equipment Corporation, now HP. She transferred with Digital in 1997 to the south of France and eventually Geneva, Switzerland. There she met her husband, André. After receiving her masters degree from Webster University in 2002 in Geneva, Nancy taught at Webster and created undergraduate Management and Psychology curriculums in Leadership, Change and Career Development. In 2006 she became the co-director of the Career Services Office for career coaching and counseling for undergraduates to prepare for employment and career transitions. Nancy will be remembered for her commitment to students’ success and for her highly intelligent, dedicated, humorous and charismatic nature, passionately searching for ways to advance the students and recent graduates career potential. In 2020, Nancy attributed her former teacher Sherrill Curtis for “motivating (her) to think, to write and to question as well as sparking a love of philosophy that has continued to this day.”

Nancy will be hugely missed by a lifelong league of friends as well as family, former classmates and students. Condolences can be sent to Nancy’s family using the following email:  rememberingnancy21@gmail.com.