Nancy J. Carden, age 87, passed away on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at her home farm near Barneveld, Wis. She was born on May 7, 1939, in Atlanta, Ga., the daughter of Virgil and Frances Hoagland.

Nancy’s father was an accountant for a railroad and they moved often from city to city therefore, leaving Nancy only a limited early social life. Nancy’s first husband passed away a few short years after their marriage leaving her to support the family of two young boys. However, she still found time to attend Carthage College, graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. degree on May 23, 1976.

After maturing, her two sons moved to Florida and Nancy began working for Twin Disc of Racine, Wis., and later when her father died, moved to Atlanta to be with her mother. Unfortunately, her Atlanta Company needed an extension to their business and sent Nancy to Juarez, Mexico, where she soon found the living environment unbearable and ended up with a material management job in Columbia, Md. Here she met Doug Carden who was transferred to Columbia from Wisconsin to set up a new assembly facility. They met, fell in love and moved back to the farm in Wisconsin, where they enjoyed 40 years of a blissful life together.

Nancy’s favorite pastimes were taking care of her flower beds, gardening, and garage saling with friends. Nancy was definitely a people person. She was active in their church and other organizations. However, her most incredible talent was quilting. She spent hours and hours sewing beautiful quilts of every size only to give them away as Christmas or birthday presents.

To know Nancy was to love her. She never had a bad word about any individual. She was kind, unselfish, compassionate, sincere, caring and every life she touched was rewarded by her personality.

Nancy loved all animals. She had a Springer Spaniel, Cooper, for 18 years. He was by her side 24/7. Nancy would want to be the kind of person that Copper thought she was. And in reverse, for sure, Cooper would like to be the kind of dog Nancy thought he was.

Nancy is survived by her husband, Douglas; sons, Robert (Cindy) and John (Teresa); stepsons, Kevin (Jenifer), Keith (Dana) and Kyle (Paige); brother, Charles (Pat) Hoagland; brother-in-law, Jim Halprin; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Sue Halprin; and first spouse, Gerald Juras.

A visitation will be held at BARNEVELD LUTHERAN CHURCH, 505 Swiss Lane, Barneveld, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2026. A funeral service will follow at the church at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Memorials may be made to Agrace HospiceCare. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson Camacho Mount Horeb
Funeral & Cremation Care
500 N. Eighth St.
(608) 437-5077

Nancy Carden

May 07, 1939 - November 07, 2026

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