Anne Maddock Ewing

Anne Maddock Ewing, known as “Basie” to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and as “Nancy” to everyone else, was called home on March 8, in her 100th year. 

Nancy’s parents were Anne Wirz Maddock (“Dazie”) and Henry Maddock. Henry was a direct descendant of his namesake, the Henry Maddock who had received a land grant from William Penn in 1681 — including 850 acres in what is now Swarthmore. In 1724, the elder Henry’s son, Mordecai, built the house, known today as the “Benjamin West House,” where the famous artist by that name was born. (The house still stands, now serving as Swarthmore College’s Visitor Information Center.)

Born in Wallingford, Nancy graduated from Friends Central School in 1939 and from Wells College in 1943. Two years later, in 1945, she married Alexander Ewing (“Alec”), a 1939 graduate of Swarthmore High School. Nancy and Alec lived in Wallingford — first in the Heatherwold neighborhood, and then in the house she had grown up in, on Church Road. In 1962, Nancy negotiated the purchase of acreage in Rose Valley — unbeknownst to Alec, who was out of town at the time. When he returned, Alec, who was an architect, signed on to design the house but soon realized that his talents lay more in business development than design. They oversaw the construction together, making many decisions on the fly. The beautiful house that resulted overlooks Ridley Creek Valley, where Nancy spent much time walking along the creek, searching for (and often finding) arrowheads, observing birds, and, in winter, skating with her kids. She and Alec spent 69 “fun filled” years together, and were truly devoted to each other, notwithstanding their disagreements about a lot of things.

In 1946, Nancy’s father Henry purchased a house at the Jersey Shore, in Mantoloking. It was her favorite place. She and her sister Mary (pictured here, with Mary on the right) were enthusiastic surf-fisherpersons. Their proudest angling moment was when Sports Illustrated published a photo of them with their impressive catch of sea bass. Nancy was also an enthusiastic tennis player, an avid reader, and a dog and cat enthusiast, and she enjoyed attending notorious trials in various courthouses. But her real specialty was friendship. When tragedy struck her friends, they came to her, sometimes moving in for a while. She was loyal and honest, never hypocritical, and usually the leader of any pack. She loved Rangeley, Maine, where she had spent time in her youth with her lifelong friend, Dodie Dolman. In her later years, four generations of her family enjoyed visits to Hunter Cove on Rangeley Lake.

Basie leaves behind three children, who were devoted to her: Sandy and Mitty of Swarthmore, and John of Rose Valley. She also leaves five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, a niece, Molly, and a nephew, Rob. She reliably dished out her opinions and the truth to all her offspring right up to the end. She would be pleased if any donations in her memory were made to the Tyler Arboretum.