Nancy Duffy

And though she be but little, she is fierce.

Our Mom & Grandma - Nancy Wischmeyer Duffy - took a piece of each of our hearts when she left this world on February 22nd to join our Dad and her beloved parents in heaven for eternity. Her battle was only a few months long but she fought every day with the strength of a Mama Bear focused only on protecting those she loved the most from hurting for even a moment longer than necessary.

Mom quietly entered the world in December 1944 and was welcomed by her parents Clamor & Millie Wischmeyer and big sister Carolyn. In the years to come she was blessed with three more siblings - Ellen, George, & David - who completed their family. Their house was always filled with love & laughter and that continues today with our annual Christmas party hosted by Mom because in her heart family was always most important.

Even though many young men were dazzled by her charm and infectious smile, Mom chose our Dad, Ed Duffy, as the one she wanted to share her life and start a family with, and they were married (twice to be exact - once in each family's church) in September 1968. In that moment our amazing family was created. Together they brought five daughters into the world - Colleen, Meghan, Kelli, Erin, and Cara - and our Mom dedicated her entire life to making sure we grew into the strong, confident women we are today. She made our house a home where our friends were always welcomed with a hug and many over the years came to visit her just as often as they did her daughters. She made such an impact on so many that you would be hard pressed to find any of our friends who doesn't have a happy memory of time spent with Mom Duffy. She loved us each unconditionally and individually and made sure we always knew how blessed she was to be our Mom.

Over the years three sons were eventually added to the family - Tim, Eric, and Brent - and each was welcomed with open arms and a place to sit at our kitchen table where she entertained them as they waited for one of us to get ready which often took far longer than expected.

While she was amazing as a mom, she was simply spectacular as a Grandma. Beginning with Katelyn in 2002 and continuing through Makenzie in 2014, Mom greeted each new grandbaby with the same excitement & love, thrilled to have another to adore and spoil in her own special way. Katelyn, Madison, Braden, Bryce, Ansley, Everleigh, Finnegan, Brooklyn & Makenzie hung the sun, moon and all the stars in Grandma's eyes. Always willing to change a diaper, rock a fussy baby or bandage a boo boo that could only be made better by Grandma, she adored every moment they spent together. She loved nothing more than spending a weekend cheering wildly on the sidelines regardless of the sport, snuggling on the couch to enjoy a favorite movie, enjoying a summer afternoon by the pool even if it involved a few splashes, or laughing and applauding uncontrollably while watching the latest show presented by whichever grandkids were in attendance that day. She loved without boundaries and made sure each grandkid knew exactly how much they meant to her and always gave enough hugs and kisses to last until the next visit.

Although she often claimed that she never wanted pets her heart was captured many times over by the various animals we brought home over the years. Shadow & Conan, whom she often spoiled more than her own children, were so loved that she even forgave Conan when he ate several chunks out of her wood floor and never denied Shadow when he insisted they stand in the corner together during a particularly scary storm.

In the true spirit of our Mom and Grandma we will be celebrating her with an afternoon of shared smiles and memories and nothing would make us happier than if anyone and everyone touched by her would join us on Sunday, March 4th from 1-6 at:

Independence Grove
16400 West Buckley Road
Libertyville, IL 60048

Instead of sending flowers please consider bringing a photo or memory to share as those will last us a lifetime and be sure to dress cheerfully (and maybe with a bit of sparkle) to as Mom would expect smiles and laughter if at all possible.

Our world may continue spinning but it will never quite be the same. Mom would understand our grief but would never allow us to stop living life to its fullest. With tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces we will celebrate the woman who made us what we are today.