Nancy Reagan's Childhood Years in Bethesda

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BETHESDA, MD — While former First Lady Nancy Reagan and her late husband called California home before and after their years in the White House, as a child, Nancy Davis Reagan lived in Bethesda for five years.

Nancy Reagan, the former actress whose love story with Ronald Reagan played out on the public stage lent by his presidency, died Sunday of congestive heart failure at her home in Bel Air, CA. She was 94.

Anne Frances Robbins was born in New York City, the only child of Kenneth Robbins, a salesman, and Edith Luckett Robbins, an aspiring actress. The couple divorced when Reagan was young and in the 1920s Nancy was sent to live in Bethesda with an aunt and uncle, Virginia and C. Audley Galbraith, on Glenbrook Road.

After her mother married Dr. Loyal Davis, Reagan grew up in Chicago. She attended Girls' Latin School of Chicago before going on to graduate from Smith College in Northampton, MA.

»What's your favorite memory of former First Lady Nancy Reagan? Tell us in comments below.

Not many people in the neighborhood know that it once boasted such a notable resident.

During her time in Bethesda, Reagan attended Sidwell Friends School. She returned to the house in 1980 for a visit.

Arlene Bruhn, who lives next door to Reagan’s childhood home, told WJLA that she appreciates the rich history of the Battery Park house.

"I was thinking of going out this morning and putting a sign on the corner to the effect, 'Nancy Reagan once lived here’," she said.

Funeral Arrangements

Reagan will lie in repose Wednesday and Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, according to the library's foundation. The public may pay respects between 1 and 7 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday.

A private funeral service will be held Friday morning. Among the dignitaries expected to attend is First Lady Michelle Obama and Democratic presidential candidate and former First Lady Hillary Clinton.

»Photo of Ronald and Nancy Reagan from Ronald Reagan Presidential Library website; screenshot of Bethesda home from WJLA