Nancy Stevenson Sable was a most interesting woman shaped from those “one of a kind” molds they do not seem to make anymore.

A very accomplished Technical Director at CBS News for many decades, she was also a wife, mother, volunteer and lover of the arts and an avid fan and supporter of the Sunshine Hall Free Library.

Nancy always took it upon herself to use her exceptional skills for our community's most cherished not for profits that serve as the pillars for our arts and cultural community life. Nancy helped by serving on the Board of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) which produces The Big Eddy Film Festival, a homegrown Narrowsburg film festival which celebrates the traditional art of storytelling by promoting the best independent films during the Festival.

Nancy put her skills, commitment and enthusiasm and a lot of hard work and collaborations over the years to make the Festival a spectacular success since launching in 2012. During the 2020 Big Eddy Film Festival, the Nancy Stevenson Memorial Fund was one of the Presenting Sponsors.

I know of Nancy Stevenson from the Sunshine Hall Free Library where she was a volunteer who handled media and publicity and attended many of the Library's programs. The Sunshine Hall Library is the smallest and one of the oldest (105 years of continuous service) member of the Ramapo Catskill Library System. And did I mention the Library isn't exactly flush with bitcoins?

Nancy seemed to be a master with dealing with what resources were on hand (“stretching the soup” my mother used to call it) and got a lot of spot-on media and online interest in the Library's events. Because of the unique set of circumstances at the library it was Nancy Stevenson who aptly labeled the Library as “the little library that could” and now through the generosity of the Sable family, her legacy is seen in the library's The Nancy Stevenson Kids Corner-an extremely popular part of the library for children and young adult readers and with the installation of her plaque on the Library's new outside deck with its 24hr Wi-Fi which served as an absolute lifeline to the community during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patty Kennedy, the Director of the Library, told me “the memorial donation made for Nancy Stevenson to the library makes a direct impact on the mission we hold dear as well as creates an ongoing tribute to her life.

Nancy had always generously used her considerable media skills to raise public awareness of our resources and programs and helped shape our positive shared vision for our community. She is missed.”

Sadly, Nancy Stevenson is no longer with us, but her spirit, generosity and kindness remains. There is an old Tibetan saying that one continues to walk on a path with a departed friend who casts no shadow even in sunlight if we keep their name in our hearts.

So, it is with Nancy Stevenson and her well lived life. We are grateful for her example and may she continue in sunlight and we thank and miss her.