Nancy Van Eaton Prince, a trailblazing Acadiana businesswoman and philanthropist, has died.
She died Thursday surrounded by family at her home.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 7, 2025 at a 10:00 A. M. Mass of Christian Burial in The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Lafayette.
Entombment will be in the St. John Cemetery Mausoleum.
The family requests that visitation be observed on Sunday, July 6, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM and will continue on Monday from 8:00 AM to 9:45 AM.
Martin & Castille Funeral Home - DOWNTOWN is handling the arrangements.
Here's her obituary:
Late in life, Lafayette oil industry executive James “Jim” Prince became Nancy’s husband as they were both in the process of retiring, finding that travel and beach/lake life suited them both.
Also left to honor her memory is her best friend and business partner, Gail Romero and their business partner William “Bill” Bacqué.
Nancy was predeceased by her parents, Erwin O. and Ursula Iselt, and husband, local banking executive Arthur Broussard.
Born in Houston on November 4, 1938, Nancy moved to Lafayette in the 1960s. As a young woman, Nancy began a career in real estate when her father offered to pay for her license. She went on to become a real estate broker and started her own firm, hiring Gail as an agent. After encouraging Gail to also become a broker, the duo of single moms joined forces to establish Van Eaton & Romero REALTORS.
When they were named two of the most powerful women in the nation in real estate by Real Estate Marketing & Relocation Magazine in the mid-1990s, Nancy and Gail had long established themselves as leaders here in Acadiana.
Nancy was among the first women to create her own real estate firm and to join the male-dominated Board of REALTORS, breaking the glass ceiling of real estate in the early 1960s. In 1977, when Nancy and Gail formed Van Eaton & Romero, observers witnessed quantum leaps in their growth that included more and more women moving into real estate. With an emphasis on marketing, public relations, technology, and training, the pair quickly grew their firm to the number one position in the region.
By the late 1990s the company was consistently named to the top 500 real estate firms in the nation by RealTrends Magazine while they dominated the local market, growing to more than 300 agents and staff in five locations. In 2012, Van Eaton & Romero merged with New Orleans-based Latter & Blum Inc. and in 2017 acquired Coldwell Banker-Pelican.
From the beginning, philanthropy was always a part of their mission with a focus on education, the needs of children, and the arts. Their contributions to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette have included the Alumni Association, Friends of the Humanities, Friends of Music, Athletics, the College of the Arts, the B.I. Moody III College of Business Sales Training Lab, and, most notably, the creation of a professorship chair in real estate through the UL Foundation.
Nancy and Gail’s willingness to support a wide spectrum of organizations across Acadiana has included Lafayette Ballet Theater, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music, Children’s Museum of Acadiana, Lafayette Science Museum, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, Paul & Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, Lafayette Education Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Acadiana, just to name a few.
In recognition of their generous efforts, Nancy, Gail, and their partner Bill were recipients of the Community Foundation of Acadiana's Corporate Philanthropy Award in 2015 and then in 2016, Nancy and Gail were honorees at the UL Alumni Association Spring Gala.
Determination and grace defined Nancy as a mother, mentor, role model, leader, and friend. Her impact will continue to resonate throughout the community for years to come.
We will update this story as soon as arrangements are announced.
