Nancy was born in 1935 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), as the only child to Peter and Antionette (Schnelzer) Wargo. Her family also lived briefly in St. Augustine, Florida.
Her father, Pete, was an engineer. He was transferred to the Chicago area during the war. She spent the remainder of her youth in Maywood, IL and attended Proviso Township (now Proviso East) high school. Some of her schoolmates were Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, and football Hall of Famer Ray Nitschke. Nancy and her boys always rooted hard for Proviso East boys' basketball in the IHSA tournaments in the 70's and 80's and even into the 21st century.
Nancy attended Northern Illinois University and graduated with a degree in education with a specialty in Home Economics. Her first teaching job was at Mooseheart in Batavia, IL. It was through connections at Mooseheart that she met her future husband, Fred Fuchs. Fred worked as an electrical lineman for Commonwealth Edison electric utility.
Nancy and Fred were married in 1960 In Aurora, IL at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. They would have three sons, Steven (1963), Kenneth (1965), and Ronald (1968). The family enjoyed camping and annual vacations to many of the large national parks throughout the US.
Fred died of cancer when the boys were 5, 8, and 10 years old. To support her family as a young widow, Nancy, a master seamstress, started taking in more sewing work and then became the first and only dressmaker for the new Wolsfelt's Bridal Shop, which was a block from her home. She had her own dressmaking studio in the house and was able work a fair amount of hours at home and at the shop while still being able to care for her boys. She would also earn extra money doing substitute teaching.
After five years of sewing work, Nancy went back to Community College to earn a teaching certificate in the burgeoning new field of computers. She took classes at night while sewing during the day. The family had a leading edge Apple-IIe computer at home and the boys learned how to write programs and also play games on it (not necessarily in that order). Right away, Nancy found a job teaching computers to high school kids in Bourbonnais, IL at the vocational center that supported Kankakee area high schools. She taught there until her retirement in 1994.
All of Nancy's sons graduated from college, Steve at Bradley University, and Ken & Ron at Marquette University. Ron went to Marquette on a Naval ROTC scholarship. Nancy has five grandchildren. Brian (1993) and Mark (1995) were born to Ron and his wife Cathy (Fritsche). Kyle (1993), Kelsey (1995), and Matt (1997) were born to Ken and his first wife Tracy (Kita). Ken is currently married to Patty Donahue.
After retirement, Nancy went back to part-time sewing at the bridal shop. This provided her with extra money to go on many trips across the globe. In her life she has been to all 50 states and Puerto Rico. She has been to the Virgin Islands, all of the Canadian provinces, the countries of Venezuela and Bolivia in South America, China and Hong Kong in Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and the Fiji Islands in the Pacific, and England, Ireland and most of Europe. Her favorite trip was a 3-week safari in the wilds of Tanzania in Africa.
In 2003 Nancy left the Aurora area and moved to a retirement community in Dubuque, Iowa. Her son Ron had settled there after he left the Navy to start a career at John Deere in 1997. Her son Steve had retired early after working as an Accountant in Chicago and had also moved to Dubuque a year earlier. Ken settled in Winfield, IL while having a 35-year career at Motorola Solutions as an Electrical Engineer.
Nancy was a lifelong devoted fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. As a teenager, Nancy would frequently take the train to Ladies Day at Wrigley Field. As an adult, she would have one family outing to a Cubs home game each summer. She was able to see her beloved Cubs finally win a World Series in 2016.
Nancy was also an avid fan of the Chicago Bears and Bulls, as well as her sons' college basketball teams and the football team at her alma mater, NIU. Additionally, she enjoyed gardening, needlepoint & embroidery, and quilting. She liked to play the slot machines occasionally at the local casino and also enjoyed the blackjack table with her son Ken. Above all, Nancy's greatest passion, throughout her life, was her devotion to the well-being and happiness of her children and grandchildren.
Nancy had a long, fulfilling life and she was fortunate to live independently with both physical and mental acuity throughout. Nancy passed away on December-4 after an 11-day battle with pneumonia. She died peacefully in her sleep with her three sons by her side.
Funeral services will be on Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10:00 AM at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Montgomery with Pastor Robert Donovan, officiating. Burial will be at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Montgomery.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 11, from 3:00 until 6:00 PM at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 N. Lake St, Aurora IL 60506. 630-631-5500.
Please visit our website at www.daleidenmortuary.com where you may leave online condolences for Nancy's family.