SIAMO UNA FAMIGLIA
Nancy Hurst
Family and Friends Pay Respects to Nancy Hurst
On January 20, 2020, many family members and friends attended a Mass at Holy Rosary Church to say goodbye to Nancy (Annunziata) Cotticelli Hurst. Many AMHS members were in attendance to honor Nancy, a former chairman of the AMHS board of directors, who passed away after a long illness. Nancy was known to all as a woman of style and class. She was born in 1937 in Salerno, a city she loved and returned to often. Her father, Mario, was killed during World War II when she was only 6 years old. Nancy went to school with the nuns growing up in Italy and took piano lessons as a child. When she was 19, her mother, Tina, allowed her to move to Paris to study, at a time when it was unusual for a girl to leave home, especially a southern Italian girl. Nancy learned to speak French, thinking that with her gift for languages she might become an interpreter.
Instead, she met an American Navy man, Jim Stolt, whom she married and lived with in Paris, London and Naples, and eventually came with to the United States. She lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and managed to overcome the culture shock after years in Paris. She ended up in Washington and after a time parted ways with her husband. Ever resourceful, Nancy established a business in the Watergate — the Chocolate Box — which was the first shop in Washington to carry Godiva chocolates. Later, she opened a perfume shop in the Crystal City Underground, then tried her hand at catering, becoming assistant director of catering at the Watergate Hotel and then director of catering at Embassy Row Hotel. Nancy had a flair for parties, decorating and presentations, and she was an excellent cook who enjoyed inviting friends for dinner. She began taking flamenco lessons and used to give impromptu performances at her home. She also played the guitar, read tarot cards, and loved going to the ballet. Meanwhile, she met Bill Hurst, whom she married in 1978.
Together, they had a daughter, Francesca, who was the light of her life. Nancy was very proud of her daughter, who became a classical pianist and teaches music students at Catholic University. After leaving the catering business, Nancy went to work for private Italian companies in Washington such as IRI and Finmeccanica, where she developed special friendships that lasted even after she retired. Nancy chose to spend her retirement half in Italy and half in the U.S., enjoying amazing summers at the beach in Italy, and coming home to D.C. during the rest of the year to be near her daughter. She played an active role in AMHS for many years, and she was also active in the Order of Sons of Italy in America. Nancy’s style, wisdom and goodness will be missed by all who knew her. ❚
Bruno Sabatini
Bruno Sabatini, Brother of AMHS Past President, Dies in Italy
On January 23, 2020, the older (and only) brother of AMHS Past President Omero Sabatini passed away in Italy at the age of 92. Omero’s brother, Bruno Sabatini, was a well-known medical doctor and poet. Bruno was born in Secinaro in the province of L’Aquila in Abruzzo. He studied medicine at the University of Rome and continued his specialization in obstetrics and gynecology in Perugia. In addition to his medical skills, this “Renaissance man” also loved poetry, art and music. He especially loved to write poetry including sacred poems, such as “Via Crucis” which has been broadcast on Good Friday on Vatican Radio. And his interest in Greek poetry inspired him to write “Sul Trono di Zeus” (available on Amazon).
He also showed his works of figurative art in exhibits all over Italy and especially in Abruzzo. Our friend in L’Aquila, Goffredo Palmerini, wrote of Omero’s brother: “Bruno Sabatini ha sempre rivelato una sensibilità che abbraccia medicina e letteratura, arte e umanesimo, amore per la musica e per la montagna. Un incontro con Sabatini è sempre stato un’esperienza che arricchisce e riconnette il nostro vivere alla terra che ci ha generato, e alle radici della nostra antica civiltà,” Bruno passed away in the San Salvatore hospital in L’Aquila where he was an esteemed doctor for many years until his retirement in 1993. He leaves behind his wife Anna, his daughter Beatrice (Gianriccardo), grandchildren Leonardo, Andrea and Veronica, and his brother Omero (Belinda). Bruno’s daughter Beatrice informed Omero that the retired archbishop.