Nancy Elizabeth Barton

Greenwich Time (Greenwich, CT) Thursday, October 13, 2011

Deceased - Attorney Nancy BartonAttorney Nancy E. Barton, 60, died at Stamford Hospital surrounded by her loving family after a courageous battle with a long illness.

A cum laude graduate of Tufts University ('72) and Boston University School of Law ('76), she was a partner at the New York law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges before joining GE Capital where she became Senior Vice President and General Counsel. A highly regarded corporate attorney, she served as co-chair of the American Bar Association's Committee on Corporate Counsel.

After retiring from GE Capital, she was active in the Greenwich, CT community, serving as a member of the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET). In this capacity, she was a strong advocate for seniors, children, and education, giving a voice to individuals who might not otherwise have had one. One of her BET colleagues said, "When you are on the other side of an issue from Nancy, you better be prepared to up your game and you better have a full grasp of the issue at hand because she is relentless in challenging you and advocating for her position."

In 2010 she ran for the 36th District state Senate seat which was held 80 years ago by her grandfather, H. Allen Barton. She was defeated by the Republican incumbent, L. Scott Franz, who described her as "extremely intelligent and very, very funny, someone who had a great deal of character and spirit."

She was a dedicated supporter of the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, joining the board in 2001 and serving as President from 2008-2011. She was also a generous supporter of Tufts University and Boston University School of Law.

Nancy was an enthusiastic world traveler and genealogist, in recent years combining these two loves with a third, photography, as she traced her family roots from the countryside of the Czech Republic to the founding families of Greenwich. She was also an avid reader and enjoyed her monthly book club with her former colleagues.

Born in Las Cruces, NM, she was the beloved daughter of David Knox Barton, Hanover, NH and Ruth (Breitenfeld) Barton, Burlington, MA. She grew up in Haddonfield NJ and Lexington, MA. She is survived by seven siblings: Margaret Barton (Mrs. David Sawyier) of Chicago, IL; Alice Barton of Spring Valley, NY; Linda Barton of Stoughton, MA; Frederick Barton of New York, NY; Susan Barton Young of Woolrich, ME; William Barton of Harvard, MA; and Allen Barton of Los Angeles, CA. She was a devoted aunt to Timothy Sawyier, Anne Sawyier, Lara Wulsin Adams, Seth Wulsin, Peter Wulsin, Alana Oliveira, Jennifer Oliveira, Michelle Oliveira, Ben Barton, Andy Barton, Ellie Barton, Devdan Barton, Zoe Barton, and Reed Barton; Nancy was also the proud great-aunt of Fiona Adams.

A memorial service will be held at the Second Congregational Church in Greenwich on Saturday, October 15 at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Child Guidance Center, 1906 Greyrock Place, Stamford, CT, 06901. Online condolences may be left at Greenwich Funeral Home.com.