Nancy Schwede

Nancy Ann Schwede (Kasten) of Wausau, Wisconsin, passed away on September 4, 2024, with her two loving daughters by her side. Born May 26, 1937, to the late William and Ruth Kasten (Brown), Nancy was the fourth of seven hardworking, fun-loving Kasten children raised in the tiny town of Moon, near Mosinee, Wisconsin.

“A friendly gal and good lookin’ too,” Nancy attended Mosinee High School where she was a talented artist, a member of the Glee Club, and a Prom Queen. She enjoyed staying on Catfish Lake with her Aunt Ida during summer breaks in Eagle River, where she worked for the area’s lakeside summer camps. Nancy graduated from Mosinee High in 1955 and was awarded a scholarship to study art in college. Instead, she decided to join her Mosinee girlfriends as they set out to conquer nearby Wausau. The young women shared an apartment, dove into the workforce and made unforgettable memories.

Nancy was employed at Wausau Insurance when she met her husband-to-be Glenn Schwede. According to family lore, Glenn caught his first glance of Nancy during a Good Friday service at St. Stephen Church and was smitten. Later, Glenn and his Northside buddies were thrilled to see Nancy and friends at a beer bar and mentioning St. Stephen was a handy way to break the ice. With his wide smile, big goals, and a twinkle in his eye, Glenn (an only child) courted the beautiful young artist and soon found a permanent seat for himself at the Kasten’s crowded table in Moon. On August 17, 1957, Nancy and Glenn were married in St. Stephens.

Talented at sketching and painting since her childhood, Nancy was an all-around creative force and had an uncanny ability to produce beautiful things with little more than vision, tenacity and instinct. Nancy was an avid gardener. She also reupholstered chairs, sewed clothes and curtains, whipped up wonderful meals, mastered decoupage, and would single-handedly makeover a room, wallpaper and all, on a whim! During their early years of their marriage, the couple lived in Merrill. Nancy worked during the days and created a welcoming haven on weekends and nights while Glenn taught school and his pursued a master’s degree in education from the UW-Madison during his summer breaks.

Nancy became a stay-at-home mom when the couple welcomed their first child, Beth, in 1962. One year later, their son Matt was born. In 1967, after relocating to a new home on Dunbar Steet in Wausau, the couple welcomed their third child, Ann.

Once their kids were in school, Nancy applied for a job at Sears and worked her way up to the role of human resources director. During that time, she traveled throughout the state, serving as an HR trainer. She was proud to be among the first to extend employment opportunities, friendship and respect to many Southeast Asian job seekers who had fled persecution after serving as allies to American troops during the Vietnam War.

Nancy loved to laugh which made her the perfect fit for Glenn with his practical jokes and irreverent wit. On Dunbar Street, Nancy and Glenn hosted countless holiday feasts, lively cocktail parties, and countless gatherings with friends. Not for the faint of heart, their home reverberated with the sounds of barking dogs, spirited debates, occasional yelling, and lots of laughter. Few topics, if any, were too sensitive to lampoon and if a joke or line got laughs, it was sure to played on repeat for years.

Nancy and Glenn enjoyed road tips to beautiful and historic places, spending time at their cabin near Minocqua and family reunions by the willow tree on brother Bill’s farm. They passed down their curiosity and a genuine love of learning to their children and shared a deep respect for natural resources, wildlife, American history and the public school system. As parents, they modeled honesty, resiliency, integrity and determination by how they lived, and they sent their kids into the world with solid educations, critical thinking skills, and the ability find irony and humor in nearly everything.

In Nancy’s later years, she volunteered for the Marathon County Humane Society and Center for the Visual Arts. Nancy relished so many of life’s “little” things: digging her hands into her flower garden, drinking a CocaCola with a Sam’s pizza, sketching pictures with her grandkids, cozying up with her dog, and listening to the birdies sing. Nancy will be deeply missed.

Nancy is survived by her children and their spouses including Beth (Chris) Eiden, Matt (Meghan Wood) Schwede, and Ann (Alan Lozier) Schwede, as well as four grandchildren including Thomas (Mindy Moore) Eiden, Emma (Anthony Heffron) Eiden, Max Schwede, and Daisy Lozier. She is further survived by two great-grandchildren: Oliver and Ethan Eiden; her three siblings: Sara Jewel, Bob Kasten and Jane Fox; her sister-in-law Diane Kasten; and numerous nieces, nephews and their children.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, William and Ruth Brown Kasten and her beloved husband Glenn Schwede. She is further preceded by siblings Jim Kasten, Bill Kasten and Lois Arnold; sisters-in-law Willoween Kasten and Mary Kasten; and brothers-in-law Don Jewel, Howard Arnold, and John Fox, as well nephew-in-law David Strasser, Sara’s late partner Jerry, and her treasured nephew Scott Jewel.

The family would like to thank Jen and Pete Johnson for their compassion, support and friendship and Linda Fosick and her caring staff at Cedar Creek Manor.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM, at Helke Funeral Home in Wausau, on Friday, September 13, 2024.  A visitation will run from 10:00 AM until the time of services at the funeral home.  Burial at Mosinee Cemetery will follow services.