In the late 1970s, Midtown Plaza was thriving in downtown Rochester.
Department stores labored over elaborate window displays, the dancing dolls that adorned the Clock of Nations rotated on schedule and shoppers sitting on benches were dwarfed by the well-fertilized mall foliage behind them. Midtown Plaza was the heart of the Rochester community, and the heart of Midtown Plaza was a small, impeccably dressed woman named Nancy DeLancey.
DeLancey, who died Nov. 16, 2025, was known throughout the community as both a kind soul and a shrewd businesswoman. Before becoming Midtown Plaza’s marketing director, DeLancey managed marketing and operations at Perinton Square Mall. Perinton Square Mall was where DeLancey discovered her love for marketing and where she developed ideas that she would later execute on a larger scale at Midtown Plaza…