Skip to main content

Nancy S. Cardoso, 70

Thu, 03/13/2025 - 12:22

March 31, 1954 - Feb. 27, 2025

“A passionate gardener, baker, sailor, animal lover and advocate,” Nancy S. Cardoso “filled her life with reminders of the things she loved — nature, art, and speaking the truth,” according to those who knew her.

“She cared deeply for her family and friends.”

Ms. Cardoso, who grew up in East Hampton, died on Feb. 27 at home in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., of natural causes, her family said. She was 70.

A board member of the Neo-Political Cowgirls, a not-for-profit dance theater company here, she had lived in East Hampton until moving to Pennsylvania in 2022.

She enjoyed time at the ocean and “wholeheartedly believed in the medicinal qualities of ‘vitamin sea,’ “ her family wrote. She also had a knack for finding treasures in nature — “deer antlers, fallen feathers, or washed-up sea glass” — and could “turn random objects into intricate works of beauty with nothing but a glue gun.”

“Nancy was never afraid to speak her mind or share her wicked sense of humor, and with a laugh like hers, she could easily elicit the laughter of those around her,” her family said. They described her as “selfless to a fault” and said she “effortlessly made anyone feel comfortable in her presence as if they were an instant part of her family. To be loved by Nancy was to be accepted and appreciated for who you are, and those who knew Nancy also loved her exactly as she was.”

Friends and family remembered “the decadence of her baking” and how she spoiled “humans and animals alike with their favorite treats.”

Ms. Cardoso was born in Rockville Centre on March 31, 1954, to Gerald K. Sexton and the former Emily Jane Williamson. She attended the John M. Marshall Elementary School and East Hampton Middle and High Schools.

She and Dominick Cardoso were married on Sept. 21, 1986. They had a daughter, Corey Jane.

Mr. Cardoso survives, as does Corey Jane Cardoso, who lives in Philadelphia. Ms. Cardoso is also survived by two siblings, Lynn Sexton and Michael Duran, both of East Hampton. Her brother Mark Sexton died before her.

A celebration of her life will be held in East Hampton this summer. Memorial contributions have been suggested to the Neo-Political Cowgirls, online at npcowgirls.org, or Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, P.O. Box 5, Jamesport 11947.

Villages

L.V.I.S. Fair Is Set for Saturday

The Ladies Village Improvement Society’s annual fair happens on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and this year’s “is bigger than ever,” the society says. Not only will the carousel be back, but the Playland area for kids will be expanded. There will be face painting, a roving magician, a bubble artist, and pony rides for the little ones. 

Jun 12, 2025

Montauk Chemists Opens, Minus Pharmacy

Frank Calvo, the longtime pharmacist at White’s Drug and Department Store, which closed on Oct. 31, has opened Montauk Chemists on Main Street and is selling over-the-counter merchandise including vitamins and self-care products. One week after an inspection of the store’s pharmacy, however, he is still awaiting New York State approval to operate it. 

Jun 12, 2025

Slow Start at New Gosman’s

In some ways, Gosman’s Dock, one of Montauk’s few remaining family-owned and operated businesses until its October 2024 sale, closely resembles the complex of restaurants and shops long revered by locals and visitors alike. In other ways, though, it is markedly different under its new ownership. 

Jun 12, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.