This photo of Bill and Nancy Hughes, of Ocean City, is from the Hughes Collection at Stockton University. (Courtesy Stockton University)
By Maddy Vitale
Ocean City resident Nancy Hughes, the wife of former Ambassador to Panama and Congressman William J. Hughes, died Thursday night at home at 82.
Mayor Jay Gillian said in his weekly message posted on the city’s website, “I’m sad to report on the passing of Nancy Hughes at her Ocean City home last night. She and her husband, Bill, have been good friends and mentors to me. When I ran for mayor on a platform of “Unity in the Community,” Ambassador and Mrs. Hughes were among my greatest influences. That’s not only how he governed as a former congressman but how they both lived their lives. They taught me that I could be the best mayor by working with everybody.”
In her public and private life, Nancy Hughes was a supporter of many causes in Ocean City, and she always did so with grace and class, Gillian said.
“She has been a prominent part of our community for more than 55 years and a dedicated mother, church member and citizen,” Gillian noted. “Michele and I would like to extend our prayers and condolences to the entire Hughes family and to all who knew her,” the mayor said.
The Bill & Nancy Hughes Performing Arts Center at Ocean City High School bears her name because of her dedication to the community and the school district.
Ocean City Board of Education President Joseph Clark recalled Nancy Hughes as a “well-rounded person who had a lot of things to juggle throughout her life.”
This photo of Bill and Nancy Hughes, of Ocean City, is from the Hughes Collection at Stockton University. (Courtesy Stockton University)
