Nancy Heydon Obituary

Nancy Ann Heydon, 92, of Green Lake, WI passed away peacefully at home on July 1, 2025, following years of being bedbound from a debilitating stroke, which she endured with grace and good humor.

She was born in Rhinelander, WI on June 10, 1933, the daughter of Edwin Buck and Mary Nelson Fliss. The family eventually moved to Milwaukee and she attended Catholic grade school and Pious Catholic High School there. Her summers were spent in Rhinelander, where she had a great time working in the summer camps.

Nancy then attended Oshkosh Teachers College (now UW-Oshkosh) and went on to teach third grade at Roosevelt School in Ripon, teaching in the same classroom for 35 years. Nancy loved teaching children and fondly remembered her students over the years. She often ran into a former student who would remember her with delight.

At a get-together at Norton’s Restaurant in Green Lake, she met Bruce Heydon. The attraction was immediate. They married in 1963, and had an enduring and loving partnership until Bruce passed away.

They were both dedicated to their careers, but their free time was filled with fun and adventure. A van filled with friends traveled to Lambeau Field for every Packers game. Friday nights at Alfred’s Supper Club, just across the street from their home on Hill Street, were always on the schedule. They also enjoyed trips to Door County. After retirement they traveled widely, to England, Australia, and Hong Kong. Bali in Indonesia was a place they particularly liked. They wintered in Arizona so Bruce could golf.

Both she and Bruce were civic, belonging to various organizations and participating in community events. Nancy was a Lionette and also belonged to Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Green Lake, the Ripon Women’s Club, and the Ripon Study Club. In addition, she worked alongside Bruce as he put together the annual Green Lake Magazine, which he founded. The two of them loved dogs, and there was always a canine friend in their home.

Nancy always had a place in her heart for Rhinelander. She and Bruce maintained a cottage by Lake Thompson for decades and much of every summer was spent there.

Nancy had an artistic eye. She would tell stories of wonderful art projects that she did with her students. Her friends all knew about her home-decorating skills and looked forward to seeing what she had done to her home for the seasons and holidays. It was always very beautiful and gave her great pleasure. It was a treat for passersby to see the enclosed porch on their Hill Street house decorated for each season.

After Bruce passed away she moved to Southview Condominium in Green Lake and kept up her decorating traditions there. She was aided in this by best friend Ellen Chelstrom. Together, they would go to Oshkosh and have a great time looking for new decorations and home goods. She never failed, to the end of her life, to have her hair done every Tuesday, despite needing a wheelchair to go anywhere. Her zest for life was never diminished by her disability, and she was a joy to her friends.

Nancy is survived by a host of friends, including Ellen Chelstrom, who was instrumental in seeing that Nancy had as much of a good life as was possible following her stroke; her loving and devoted live-in caregiver, Maggie; and Jody Thiel, whom Nancy regarded as her “adopted daughter.” She is also survived by a cousin, Terry Hill. Steadfast special friends Dick and Mary Slavik aided her in many ways and Martha Janz helped out, too. A bit of joy in the household was provided by Nancy’s little dog, Miss Kitty.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edwin and Mary Fliss; her husband, Bruce; and her aunt and uncle, Helen and Walter Hill. Nancy was also preceded in death by her good friend Dennis Deyo, who visited her every day during her lengthy stay in the nursing home following her stroke.

Thank you to Dr. Joseph Longo for his care of Nancy.

In lieu of flowers, it was Nancy’s wish that memorials be sent to the Caestecker Library, 518 Hill St., Green Lake, WI 54941, The Green Lake Area Animal Shelter, PO Box 86, Green Lake, WI 54941 or St. Jude’s’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

A private funeral mass for Nancy will be held at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, and inurnment will follow at Dartford Cemetery in Green Lake.