Celebrating Nancy Laszlo’s Impact on Family & Community

As we celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday and Mother’s Day, there is still a question—can women do it all? Can they have a thriving family and career at the same time? My mother, Nancy Jean Warner Laszlo, did both. Mind you, it was not always at the same time, but now—at age 90—she can look back and see she accomplished it all.

Born on April 19, 1936, in Melrose, Massachusetts, to Walter Lawrence Warner and Jean Elisabeth Lamson, Nancy grew up in a close-knit family alongside her siblings Lawrence (Larry), Raymond (Ray), and Suzanne (Sue). The oldest child, she was a strong student who also enjoyed fun and friendship.

After graduating from Medford High School, Nancy earned a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Connecticut and began her career at Duke University Medical Center. Her move to Durham, North Carolina, marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to improving the lives of others and strengthening the community she would come to call home.

In 1962, she married Dr. John Laszlo, and together they raised three children—Rebecca, Jennifer, and Daniel—while building a home grounded in service, education, and compassion. Even while raising a young family, Nancy pursued graduate studies and earned a Master’s degree in Public Health Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, preparing herself for a career that would blend healthcare expertise with nonprofit leadership and systems change.

Founding and Leading Transformational Nonprofits

Nancy Laszlo’s most enduring impacts have been as both a mother and an early co-founder and leader of nonprofit organizations that transformed healthcare and social services in North Carolina.

Born Christian, she converted to Judaism. As an early leader in Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, North Carolina, Nancy helped bridge gaps between the tiny Jewish community at that time and the predominantly Christian community around it. She served in leadership and board roles with Urban Ministries of Durham and many other civic and charitable initiatives. Across every organization she touched, she brought strategic thinking, warmth, organizational skill, and a deep belief that communities are strongest when they care for one another. In each instance she also was blessed with wonderful partners and colleagues – people who are still beloved friends today.

Nancy’s nonprofit leadership took off at Meals on Wheels Durham, where she served as president and helped expand efforts to combat hunger, isolation, and vulnerability among older adults and homebound residents. Nancy understood that effective nonprofit leadership is not only about programs, but also about preserving human dignity and building community connection. She also had each of us kids help out there—making and packing meals and learning the power of volunteerism.

In 1979, she helped found Triangle Hospice—today known as Duke Hospice—and served as its Executive Director during its formative years. At a time when hospice care was still a relatively new and often misunderstood concept in the United States, Nancy became one of the pioneering leaders bringing compassionate end-of-life care to patients and families across the region. Under her leadership, Triangle Hospice helped redefine how communities care for people facing serious illness, emphasizing dignity, comfort, emotional support, and family-centered care. Her work contributed to broader acceptance and expansion of hospice services throughout North Carolina. Again, she brought us kids in to help—especially when it was time to prepare fundraising mailings. There, we heard stories about the dignity that hospice brought to people in our community.

Nancy also played a major leadership role with Caring House, a nonprofit that provides lodging and support services for patients and families traveling to Duke Hospital for medical treatment. Through her leadership, Caring House became a vital source of stability and compassion for families navigating some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Once again, our mom made sure we understood the mission by involving us directly in the work. We also saw how hard she worked, sometimes sitting at our dinner table late into the night, working on bookkeeping or other back-end operations involved in running a nonprofit.

Starting and leading a nonprofit is extraordinarily hard work. Building one that lasts is even harder. All three of the nonprofits where Nancy helped lay the foundation are still going strong and making the world a better place.

Building Bridges Through Interfaith and Diverse Leadership

Nancy’s ability to bring diverse groups of people together reflected one of her defining strengths: the capacity to lead with both conviction and inclusiveness. Whether working with healthcare providers, clergy, volunteers, families, or civic leaders, Nancy consistently built coalitions rooted in mutual respect and common purpose. This included bringing people together across faiths, races, and backgrounds.

A Legacy of Service and Family

Nancy’s professional accomplishments are remarkable, but those closest to her know that family and friendship have always remained at the center of her life. Each of her three children followed in her footsteps through lives dedicated to community service.

Her eldest, my sister Rebecca, started her career in computer software, but has spent many years helping people experiencing homelessness, engaging in community service, and tackling other social challenges. Her middle child (myself!) started and led numerous nonprofits. That was not an obvious outcome, as I have dyslexia, and without my mother I never would have been able to achieve what I have. Her youngest, my brother Dan, rose to the rank of Battalion Chief in the Greensboro Fire Department, where he received numerous awards for his tremendous service.

Nancy has remained connected to Judea Reform Congregation, which began as a small havurah, and she continues to build meaningful friendships at The Forest at Duke retirement community, where she has also led many events and programs since moving there.

Over the decades, Nancy received numerous honors and awards from the Governor of North Carolina and local organizations recognizing her extraordinary contributions. Yet perhaps her greatest achievement is less tangible: the countless lives improved through the institutions she helped build, the compassionate care she championed, and the people she inspired to serve others.

At 90, Nancy Jean Warner Laszlo’s legacy stands as a powerful reminder of what visionary nonprofit leadership can accomplish. Her work helped create more humane healthcare, stronger communities, and enduring networks of compassion that continue to serve people every day.

Her life has been one of purpose, service, and love—and the impact of that life will continue for generations to come. Most of all, she is deeply loved by her three children, son and daughter in law, all her grandchildren and many friends.