08/17/2026
Nancy Eagles Tapager passed away peacefully on August 14, 2026, leaving behind a life beautifully filled with family, friendship, music, faith, service, and an extraordinary capacity for loving others.
Nancy was born in Hope Mills, North Carolina, and remained a proud Tar Heel throughout her life. She attended Western Carolina University, where she earned her degree in French and began her professional life teaching high school French. North Carolina always held a special place in her heart, particularly Oak Island, where some of her happiest memories were made. What began as treasured visits during her youth became joyful annual vacations with her children and friends—years filled with sunshine, laughter, togetherness, and memories her family will carry with them forever.
Later, Nancy made her home in Nelson County, Virginia, where she raised her children and found a profound sense of peace, belonging, and connection to the place and community around her. Nelson County became much more than simply where she lived; it became home in the deepest sense of the word. She loved its mountains, its people, and the quieter rhythm of life she found there. It was where she built a life for her family, formed lasting friendships, served her community, and put down roots that remained deeply meaningful to her throughout her life.
Nancy also devoted more than thirty years of her professional life to the University of Virginia, working in neuropsychology and behavioral medicine. Her career at UVA was another great source of purpose and fulfillment. She was passionate about the work she did and deeply valued the people with whom she worked. Over the course of those many years, colleagues became treasured friends, and the relationships she formed at UVA remained an important and cherished part of her life. Nancy brought the same intelligence, compassion, warmth, and genuine interest in others to her work that she brought to every other part of her life.
Music was woven into Nancy’s life and into the way she expressed her faith. A talented pianist and organist, she shared her gift with others for most of her life. For more than thirty years, she played the organ for the congregations of Trinity Episcopal, Grace Episcopal, and St. Mark’s Episcopal churches. Providing music each Sunday was far more than something Nancy did; it was a calling she treasured and an important expression of her faith, joy, and love for her church communities.
Perhaps Nancy’s greatest gift, however, was simply the way she loved people. She truly never met a stranger. She had a vibrant spirit, a compassionate heart, and an instinctive ability to make those around her feel welcomed, valued, and cared for. She lived her life looking for opportunities to help others and, through both her words and her example, taught her children and grandchildren the importance of kindness, generosity, compassion, and altruism.
That spirit of service extended throughout the Nelson County community she loved so much. Nancy was an integral part of Nelson Kid Care, where she coordinated donations and helped pack healthy snack bags for children to take home from school. She also volunteered with the Nelson Witness Advocacy group, offering support and compassion to victims of domestic
violence. Whether through music, friendship, her professional work, volunteer service, or a simple act of kindness, Nancy consistently found ways to bring comfort, happiness, and light into the lives of others.
Above all else, Nancy loved her family deeply and joyfully. She is survived by her daughters, Laura Hughes (Jeremy) and Katie Hughes (Jon); her son, Stephen Mays; and the grandchildren she adored: Jaydn (Bryn), Jackson, John David, Luke, Levi, Evan, Rowan, Sydney, and Camden. She was also blessed with her great-grandson, Jaydn (“JJ”), as well as her niece, Britton O’Hanlon Jordan, and nephew, Edward O’Hanlon. And no remembrance of Nancy would be complete without mentioning her deeply beloved canine companion and dear friend, Viviene (“Vivi”) Louise Tapager, who brought her tremendous companionship, comfort, and joy.
Nancy was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Kathleen Eagles; her father, Joseph Hamilton Eagles; her sister, Laura Eagles O’Hanlon; and her most beloved friend and husband, Micheal Howard Tapager.
There will be an enormous space in the lives of those who loved Nancy now that she is gone, but hers is a life that deserves to be remembered with joy. She leaves behind the sound of music, memories of summers at Oak Island, the beauty and peace of Nelson County, decades of meaningful work and friendship at UVA, countless acts of kindness, stories that will continue to be told, and a family forever shaped by the love she gave so freely.
Nancy was loving, compassionate, spirited, generous, intelligent, and wonderfully vibrant. She made the world around her brighter simply by being part of it. Though she will be deeply missed, the love she gave remains—in her children and grandchildren, in the friends she collected throughout every chapter of her life, in the communities she served, in the colleagues whose lives she touched, in the music she shared, and in the countless people whose lives were made better because they knew her.
Her life was a beautiful legacy of love, light and laughter, and that light will continue to shine through all those who loved her.
A memorial service celebrating Nancy’s life will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in Massie’s Mill, Virginia. Family and friends are warmly invited to gather in remembrance of Nancy and to celebrate the life she shared so generously with others.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to honor Nancy’s memory consider making a memorial gift to Hospice of the Piedmont’s Hospice House, whose staff cared for Nancy with extraordinary kindness and compassion during her final days. Memorial gifts may be made online through Hospice of the Piedmont at https://hopva.org/donate-online-now/.
Nancy’s family would also like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff, nurses, CNAs, and volunteers of Hospice of the Piedmont for the extraordinary compassion and care they gave Nancy during a time when she needed it most. Their kindness will always be remembered.
Family and friends may sign her virtual guestbook at www.WellsSheffield.com
Arrangements by Wells/Sheffield Funeral Chapel, Lovingston (434-263-4097).
