Nancy Griffin Bell, 93 of Derry, New Hampshire, formerly of Hendersonville, North Carolina and Duxbury, Massachusetts, died Monday January 19, 2026, at St. Teresa Rehab and Nursing Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. She was born on November 24, 1932, on the historic East Side of Providence, Rhode Island (Elmgrove Gardens). She was the daughter of Dr. Clifford H. Griffin, a former Providence medical examiner and police surgeon, and Florence (Towle) Griffin. She graduated from Providence Classical High School and studied nursing at Pembroke College in Brown University.
With her second husband, Don, Nancy raised her two children on Long Island, New York in a neighborhood that ended at a beautiful Long Island Sound beach where many happy family memories were made. Before marrying Don in 1965, she was a single mom of two energetic children under 10 years old. She had ample energy for the challenge, whether it was sledding and playing in the snow or gathering up all the neighborhood children to go out for Carvel ice cream.
Nancy loved Christmas and decorating her homes for the holidays. She led the family in memorable carol-singing parties to the 1958 album classic, Christmas Sing-along with Mitch. She was proudly patriotic and although she said her favorite color was red, it really was red, white, and blue. She was an avid collector of teddy bears and boasted a collection of more than 180 unique stuffed bears, beginning with “Chubby,” her childhood bear, dating to the early 1930s.
During their 57 year marriage, Nancy and Don traveled to several exotic destinations, including Hong Kong, Japan, Hawaii, and Alaska. They later enjoyed a 25-year long retirement with many close friends in Hendersonville, North Carolina, before returning to New England in 2017. Nancy and Don were long-time volunteers with Meals on Wheels America. They were members of Grace Lutheran Church in Hendersonville for many years.
Nancy is survived by her daughter, Kathy Ullrich Burke and son-in-law, Tim Burke of Derry, New Hampshire; her son, Scott Ullrich of Wells, Maine; four grandchildren, Joseph of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and Grace, Cole, and Carlton of Boone, North Carolina; five nieces and nephews, Doug (Barbara) Bartlett of Duxbury, Massachusetts, Stephen (Starlynn) Griffin of Mandeville, Louisiana, Scott (Barbara) Bartlett of Manchester, New Hampshire, Anne Griffin of Boston, Massachusetts, and Angela Griffin of Lawrence, Kansas; and four great nieces and a great nephew. Nancy was predeceased by her husband, Don, in 2022, and her brother, Clifford Griffin.
A celebration of Nancy’s life will take place in Duxbury, Massachusetts at a later date. In remembrance of Nancy’s life, the family would be pleased to have memorial contributions made to St. Teresa Rehab and Nursing Center (Catholic Charities), Manchester, NH, stteresarehabcenter.org/donate, where she received excellent, loving care, or to either of her two favorite charities, Shriners Hospitals for Children or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.