LOPATCONG, N.J. — Nancy Grossbarth, loving sister in spirit of Louise Hoffman Broach of Savannah, N.Y. passed away July 13 after battling several medical challenges, at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa.

At her request, there will be no calling hours, services, or funeral. Memorials may be made in her name to the charity of one's choice.

Nancy was born Jan. 26, 1960, and was immediately adopted by Martin and Marjorie Grossbarth of Springfield, N.J., who raised her to become an assertive, confident woman who achieved much in her life. She graduated from Springfield High School in 1978 and attended Syracuse University, and earned a degree in education from Kean College.

She was a high school English teacher in the Orange, N.J. City School District for her entire career, maintaining close friendships with several of her students as they grew into productive adults. She was proud of her role as a mentor.

Nancy overcame several physical challenges in her life, including leukemia, heart disease and breast cancer. She never let any of it stop her. She loved photography, reading, computers, Jeopardy! and shopping. She was an avid fabric artist, completing many cross-stitch pieces of complicated design. She loved to travel, having been to China, Europe, Israel and all over the U.S. and Canada with her mother, as well as on her own. She most recently took a cruise down the Rhine in Germany earlier this year.

After her adoptive mother died, Nancy discovered her birth sister, Michelle DiCavallucci and her family, in Florida. They became extremely close, visiting frequently and building a relationship for the past five years that was a dream for both of them. It was something that Nancy had always hoped for and that Michelle cherished.

Nancy also considered her friend, Louise Hoffman Broach, a sister, having a friendship that extended for 48 years with many visits and shared experiences, support and love. They were always there for each other and Nancy looked at the Finger Lakes as her second home.

Nancy is survived by her sister Michelle Dicavallucci, her husband Jim and their children, Salvatore, Christina and Lydiann Mammolito, all of Florida; "sister in spirit" Louise Hoffman Broach and her husband, David, and their children Kathryn of Rochester and Lorrayne of Union Springs, who Nancy considered her nieces; and a multitude of friends, colleagues and former students too numerous to name who loved her dearly. She was predeceased by her adoptive parents, Martin and Marjorie Grossbarth and adoptive sister, Ellen; her birth mother Lydia Rizzolo and several biological siblings.