Nancy Lou Scharfe

Nancy L. Scharfe (nee Lindsey)

Born January 14, 1931, departed July 1, 2026.  

Raised in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Nancy was both curious and diligent from a young age. She ventured out solo, with parental guidance and encouragement, taking streetcars, trains and busses to museums and to Riverview, starting at age eight.  (Nancy adored her mother and respected her father.  She lucked out). As teenagers, she and her friends reserved Friday afternoons for trips to the soda fountain to talk about???? Hmmm.....  Upon completing high school, it was off to Indiana University in Bloomington, where she graduated with honors with a marketing degree.

She met her husband Robert (1928-2020) in 1953 near her parent’s house as he was trimming trees for the City of Chicago.  The two began their 66 years of wedded bliss later that year. After a brief time in Roger’s Park, they moved to Broadview and then to Hinsdale, where they raised their five sons. Proud of her surroundings and her tidiness, Nancy would often listen to Dusty Springfield and Rachmaninoff while dusting or cooking.  (Interestingly, spiders were allowed to roam the house undisturbed as natural gatekeepers!)  As her sons matured, she filled her newfound time with civic pursuits. She served as a planning commissioner for many years in Hinsdale, was a devoted watcher of the juvenile court system for DuPage County, took care of ailing friends, and later volunteered at The Ridges Sanctuary in Door County, Wis.  Relaxation included sewing more than 100 quilts (all hand-sewn, no machines), reading biographies, solving crossword puzzles and providing compliments, often to complete strangers.  She and Robert first retired to Door County in 1988 (where she became an avid Packers fan), then it was off to Portage, Wis. in 2006, and finally to Venice, Fla., in 2015.

The Scharfe family would like to thank everyone at Home Again in Waunakee for the attentive personal and professional care provided.  Your efforts improved Mom’s final years immeasurably.

Your sons, daughters-in-law, brother and sister-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren wish you well on your journey.  May you find an ample supply of Swiss cheese, a hot fudge sundae and a Rusty Nail or two in front of you, and another Packers Superbowl win sometime soon!  We are grateful for your love, your encouragement, your guidance, and for the solid, dependable home front.  You did good.

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

Gunderson Lodi

Funeral & Cremation Care

157 S. Main St.

(608) 592-3201