Nancy Malcomson Connable

CONNABLE, Nancy Malcomson Of Kalamazoo Nancy Malcomson Connable, a long-time resident of Kalamazoo, died of cancer on February 24, 2007, after a two-month stay at Rose Arbor - Hospice of Southwest Michigan. Born in Detroit in 1929, Ms. Connable was the daughter of the late Alfred B. Connable, Jr., and the late Dorothy Malcomson Connable. Ms. Connable was the granddaughter of Alfred B. Connable, Sr., Kalamazoo's last mayor before the establishment of the City Commission, and of Alexander Malcomson, an early backer of Henry Ford. Nancy Malcomson Connable is survived by her brother, Alfred B. Connable III, of Roslyn, New York, her sister-in-law, Roma L. Connable, her nephews, Major Benjamin Connable, USMC, of Arlington, Virginia, and Joel Connable, an NBC News anchor, of Aventura, Florida, and by many dear friends in Kalamazoo, across the nation, and abroad. Ms. Connable and her family lived in Ann Arbor before moving to Kalamazoo in 1944. She attended University High School in Ann Arbor, followed by Abbot Academy, the Cambridge School, and State High in Kalamazoo. As a student at the University of Michigan, Ms. Connable was a principal dancer in a widely praised production of T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral. She also danced as a student at Bennington College. Ms. Connable served in the Women's Army Corps for two years during the Korean War. Ms. Connable studied dance with a number of great performers, including Hanya Holm at Colorado College and the Henry Street Playhouse, and later joined Ms. Holm's dance troupe. As a professional modern dancer, Ms. Connable performed and also conducted dance classes, primarily for children, in New York City and on Long Island. In Kalamazoo, Ms. Connable was an ardent supporter of the arts and environmental causes. At the request of Ms. Connable, no public visitation or memorial will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Rose Arbor - Hospice of Southwest Michigan, Fontana Chamber Arts, the Arts Council of Kalamazoo, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, or the Natural Resources Defense Council.