Nancy Glezen Quickel

Nancy Glezen Quickel passed away peacefully from pneumonia on November 29, 2021 at Mercy Health  Hospital on the Williams Bay campus. Her loving husband of 46 years David Quickel was by her side. 

Nancy is predeceased by daughter Becky Hoff Brace, sister Jane Glezen Miller, parents Bea and Joe Glezen, and grandson Chase Quickel.

Nancy is survived by her husband David, her daughters Cindy Hoff Harkrader (Steve) of McCall Idaho; Lori Quickel Mead (Mark) of Appleton; Suzanne Hoff Hadley (David) of Manhattan Beach, California;  Dan Quickel (Julianne) of Coto de Caza, California; Elizabeth Hoff of Houston, Texas; and Susie Quickel Frantal (Tony) of Appleton. Nancy has 14 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Nancy’s surviving siblings include younger sister Mary Glezen Atwell (Skip) of Lake Geneva and younger brother John Glezen (Juanita) of Evansville, Indiana.

Nancy was born at home on a farm in 1935 in Ireland, Indiana, and graduated from Dale High School in 1953.  She graduated from MacMurray College in southern Illinois in 1957. She taught high-school home economics at Beloit Memorial High School before her first marriage. She left teaching to raise her four daughters. Nancy moved to Lake Geneva in 1971 and married David Quickel in 1975. They raised their 7 children in a family full of laughter and love.

When an empty nester, Nancy worked with her husband at the Apparel Center in downtown Chicago for seven years, commuting daily by train from Fox Lake, IL. In the 1980s, Nancy began managing the women’s apparel shop I.M. Petite on Main Street. In 1992 Nancy and her daughter Suzanne bought the store and changed the name to Nancy’s Petites. Nancy loved working every day in the store (later renamed Nancy’s) for 25 years. She knew all her customers by name and their personal story. 

Nancy was a member of the Lake Geneva United Methodist Church for fifty years; she sang in the choir and contributed for years to the church’s former Christmas bazaars. Nancy was also past president of AAUW, on the board of directors of Horticultural Hall, and an active member of the Chamber of Commerce. Nancy was passionate about Lake Geneva which included strengthening its small-business climate and beautifying the downtown.

Nancy was an early booster of girls’ softball in Lake Geneva when the YMCA first began a softball program in the early 1970s. While her children attended Badger High School, Nancy was very involved in their music programs; she led fundraising efforts in 1980 (including making hundreds of frozen pizzas) to send the Badger jazz band to national competition in Florida for the first time. 

Some of her favorite memories with David include traveling the Midwest in the ladies’ wear industry, and annual football season—cheering on the Florida State Seminoles and Green Bay Packers. Nancy was a prolific reader and fan of the Lake Geneva library. She worked a daily crossword puzzle. She enjoyed cooking, crafts, and visiting her children and grandchildren. 

The family would like to thank Nancy’s personal physician Garth Schneider, M.D., of Lake Geneva, and the many wonderful doctors and nurses at Mercy Health who helped ease her transition to heaven. 

A celebration of Nancy’s life is planned in Lake Geneva next spring. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Nancy’s honor to the Lake Geneva YMCA.

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Derrick Funeral Home of Lake Geneva is honored to be assisting the Quickel family.

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