Nancy A. Schmelzer

Nancy A. Schmelzer

April 19, 1938 - May 08, 2026

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Obituary

MADISON - Nancy Ann Schmelzer, age 88, passed away on May 8, 2026, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. Born to Alyce and Stewart Schmelzer on April 19, 1938, Nancy was a Madison native and a 1956 graduate of West High School. She went on to attend the University of Wisconsin where she received both her Bachelor’s of Arts in Anthropology and her Master’s of Social Work.

Her return to university in 1968 was the catalyst which founded the groundwork of her beliefs. Nancy was a social worker by craft, an activist by temperament, and a wild woman at heart. Her time at the Neighborhood House was inimitable, though she spent all of her life’s work caring for those in need. From the Vietnam War Protests to the No Kings March, Nancy was proudly politically outspoken. She was a lover of the arts and literature, and enjoyed nature in all forms. Nancy loved to reminisce and always had a story to tell; she could strike up a conversation anywhere, anytime with anyone, including the animals in her garden. Her greatest accomplishment, in her words, were her children and grandchildren, whom she loved deeply.

Nancy is survived by her three children, Thaddeus Austin (Aurelia Wills), Kristin Austin (Michael Matheson) and Joseph Sack (David Hatch); her grandchildren, Stewart Austin, Jessie Austin-O’Neill (Eoghan O’Neill), Miles Austin and Isabella Matheson; her great-grand child, Roisin O’Neill; and her former husband, Michael Elmaleh. She was preceded in death by her parents, whom she loved dearly; as well as her former husband, Wayne Austin.


A memorial remembrance will be held at Gunderson East Funeral and Cremation Care, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. Service will take place from 2:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026.


Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.


Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420



Events

22
Visitation
Fri May 22, 2026 @ 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM CDT
Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care • 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53716
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22
Memorial Service
Fri May 22, 2026 @ 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM CDT
Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care • 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53716
Get Directions

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Nancy
AS
A Memorial Tree was planted for Nancy Ann Schmelzer
Other •
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ Gunderson Funeral Home - Madison
SA
Sue and Augie
Other •
It's our honor to have a tree planted in honor of Nancy.
MM
Mel Morgenbesser
Other •
On behalf of the School of Social Work at UW-Madison, please accept our condolences on our alum, Nancy's passing. We will share this in our next alumni magazine, especially noting her work at Neighborhood House.
MM
michel McGettigan
Other •
I was so sorry to learn of Nancy's death. I remember her well from the old neighborhood, where we raised our families. More recently, I would see her enjoying lunch at the Laurel. We would visit and talk about our families. She was really an amazing woman. I will be out of town this week and unable to tell you in person. Please accept my sincere Sympathy, Michel McGettigan { mother of Bradd, Joel, Dan and Mark Bitney and Mary Cooley.}
GG
Gail Geib
Other •
I was one of the many people with whom Nancy "struck up a conversation," in my case, at the Mound Street Laundromat in the old Greenbush neighborhood. She was an unforgettable character, and as her obituary puts it, truly a "wild woman at heart." Those Saturday morning conversations opened my eyes and my mind, and made the world a bigger place. Nancy was a joy to know! My sympathies to Nancy's family.
BG
Bonnie Gruber
Other •
Nancy was a friend as well as a help in my campaigns for the Madison City Council in the 1970s and 1980s. She understood the neighborhood well and cared for its future. It was an honor for me to sub for her at Neighborhood House the summer she took a statistics course.

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