Lucy Nadolski

At 9pm this evening, Lucy Treece / Nadolski left her body and her Soul went home. GOD

welcomes her, of this I am certain. She will be missed, as she has cast a long and wide shadow

of love among us.

The influence that she/they had on so many of our lives is not easy to describe - because it

was beautifully subtle. Born into large families, they survived adversity and scarcity that

shaped their patterns of drive, contribution and the deep connection to each of us. Recently, I

received a text from my daughter Kelyn, who shared a journal entry from 2007 wherein she

acknowledged Aunt Lucy’s impact, having been showered with written attentions and kindness

almost every other day for many months as she struggled. Sending cards was an admirable

practice that Lucy excelled at, almost singlehandedly keeping the U.S. Postal Service in

business.

Aunt Lucy, one of 14 children, grew up the daughter of a coal miner in southern Illinois. Her

Mom of Native American decent (likely Cherokee), they lived an austere life style with no indoor

plumbing, wood fired cooking and outhouse/privy. She always knew what was for breakfast

(oatmeal) and dinner (beans). A couple times a year, around a holiday, meat was a special treat

- savored and stretched into days with gravy and stocks made from remaining bones. Born

and raised during the The Great Depression, she was shaped by the scarcity that came with it.

Her strong work ethic and engineered frugality guided her actions. As we all know, Lucy

recycled in every way, everyday throughout her life - well before that was a “thing”.

At the age of 18 she went to nursing school, and years later was employed at Lewis Memorial

Hospital before moving on to Mercy Hospital. While working in the maternity ward at Lewis,

she met the love of her life -Jerry- who was home on leave and visiting his mother as she had

given birth to his new baby brother, Dave. Lucy’s competence as a nurse served her profession

and patients extremely well. She became the doctor’s choice, and was the preferred lead in

surgery support, on both the organ transplant team and the neurosurgery team. “When Lucy

was on duty, nothing in the OR was ever overlooked”, her boss reportedly said.

Probably exercising those writing skills while Jerry was in Korea, their love grew. When he

returned from the war, they consummated their love in marriage in 1955. They had a baby later

that year, about a week after I was born - who sadly survived just a short time. His name is

James Thomas Nadolski. For some reason, Aunt Lucy was unable to have more children after

that and, instead, adopted the rest of us into her heart.

They worked and lived hand-in-hand in Chicago; she a nurse; and he, a partner to his father as

they built the manufactured parts painting business. Aunt Lucy excelled in her profession

gravitating to the tough jobs that required acute attention and intelligence. She was highly

coveted by the physicians.

At home, Jerry’s dominant persona was tempered and tamed by her calm, straightforward love

and manner. They were the earliest DINKS (Double Income No Kids) I knew, which afforded

them time and mutual interest to indulge their passions - including shared love of motorcycles.

Active in several clubs they enjoyed no end of social entertainment and seized every

opportunity to explore new geographic horizons.

One notable trip comes to mind: they once rode to and thru British Columbia and into the

Yukon Territory, then deep into Alaska on the Alcan Highway - that leg of the trip -

approximately 1300 miles of mostly dirt road - riding a Harley!

Eventually, they migrated from city life in Chicago’s south side to the green acres of New

Auburn, Wisconsin. Harley Hogs were traded for piglets as they became livestock ranchers and

farmers, sustaining them for many wonderful years. Always social and willing to host or attend,

they took care of each other - and so many others in both of their substantial root families.

It’s a good thing she chose nursing, because he needed a lot of it over the years. She put

Humpty Dumpty back together again like no one before or since. Sometime after Jerry was run

over by a tractor, they decided to migrate once again - this time to the warmth of Florida and

settled in the town of Welaka. Their focus shifted from livestock to fishing, shrimping and

crabbing, while maintaining a substantial garden. Once again they built strong friendships that

continue to reverberate through the community and time.

Late in life, Aunt Lucy began to forget a few things and Jerry rededicated himself to her care -

as she continued to nurse his wounds. His motivation to survive was largely driven by his

commitment to her. Aunt Lucy was lost when Jerry passed on in early 2023, and I believe that

she has been looking forward to their reunion ever since. Now she is reunited!

She/they treated everyone with kindness and respect. Nancy and I, as well as Carol Jean, in

particular - were often treated as their own birth daughters and son. In so being, we were

honored. But as I think about it, she/they made all of us feel this way. In a huge family, they

provided a glue - like a spider that weaves and holds the web together as they traveled far and

wide, never hesitating to stop in for a visit with relatives, even if it meant going hundreds of

miles out of the way. That acute attention to family ties is already deeply missed as they have

transitioned to immobility - and more - but should serve to remind each of us to exercise the

extra effort as they did to build bridges and nurture familiarity within our vast network of family.