There are many reasons we remember a person – many reasons why they may have touched our lives. Nancy Jean Kosior was someone who was a part of the Warwick fabric who many knew by her presence, walking through village streets, stopping to say hello or to impart wise words along the way. Nancy grew up here and loved our valley and its people and in particular its children. She loved being outside in nature, close to nature. She had a quality of calm. If you knew her you recognized she had a certain deepness, a certain soulfulness, a sense of what is just and what is important in life.
Many people do not know the work she did to help many local children. Nancy developed an outreach program that was called, “The Village Kids,” which was at the Doc Fry Community Center for many years. This was a place for kids who struggled in an unsettled home life. This program helped give family structure and attentive care that would give these children confidence in life. Nancy created this. She saw a need and made a place that gave many kids opportunities they would not have had normally. She worked with local organizations so that some of these children could participate in sports leagues, though their families did not have the financial means for the application fees. She connected with Braeside Camp in Middletown so that kids could have a camp experience. She made sure birthdays were not forgotten and holidays were something to celebrate. Nancy was resourceful, creative, and clearly understood the impact of these activities on the lives of these kids. She also recognized the importance to feel that you belonged and that you are loved. Many children were positively affected by this program and even today, it gives us a powerful lesson about recognizing and meeting a community’s needs.
Many of us will remember Nancy in a simple cotton dress walking the streets of our village, beautiful, unfettered, deep in thought. She loved the village and all that it meant to her – to us. She had a kindness that was direct and offered it up with humor, irony, but most of all care. In life, we make choices that define who we are; for Nancy, those choices were from the heart and what she saw as something important and necessary. Not only did she fulfill that but left a legacy of promise for so many.
Recently, we received the sad news of the passing of a village resident, a soldier, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial. On behalf of the Village Board of Trustees, I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Prial family. As a community, we offer our love and support through this difficult time.
