Nancy Louise Barker

Nancy Barker, age 82, passed away on September 26th, 2019 at the Neenah VNA Care Facility. Nancy was born on April 14th, 1937 to Reuben and Marcella (Huelsbeck) Stadler.

Nancy attended St. Mary Grade School and High School in Menasha. She was a lifelong member of the Church. On September 22nd, 1953 she married Daniel Barker, who lived on the neighboring farm. He preceded her in death on August 28th, 1985.

Nancy and Dan had 32 years of marriage and had six children; son Daniel Jr. (Dawn), daughter Elizabeth (Ken) Richardson, son Michael, son Paul (Lisa), son John (Kathy) and daughter Kathy Barker. She also had 13 Grandchildren, and 10 Great-Grandchildren.

During the years she worked at home raising her family, she also worked for the City of Menasha, first as a Crossing Guard for several years, and then later as the first female drawbridge-tender for the City.

After Dan’s passing, she became very active in local politics and reconnected with her farming and agricultural heritage. Both became lifelong passions in her remaining years.

In local politics, she was a City of Menasha Alderperson for 10 years. She also greatly enjoyed her 25 years as a Winnebago County Supervisor. She actively served on many committees, and particularly took great pride in her work on the Agriculture and Extension Committees for the County. This also allowed her to keep involved on many local Agricultural and conservation activities.

Nancy also was involved in other committees such as those that oversaw diverse entities such as the Heckrodt Nature Center and the UW Fox Valley campus. She was also known for volunteering in the County including time as a Winnebago County Fair Judge for 4H and Cloverbuds.

Nancy was also well known for her contributions as a local historian. She was a member of the Menasha Historical Society. She had an amazing memory for the events and stories of the past.

She shared this deep interest in local history with the community through her gifts as a speaker and storyteller. She was known for working as a tour guide and speaker on bus trips for those visiting the community. But she is probably best remembered as a regular guest of Kathy Keene on the Good Neighbor Show on WHBY radio. She had a strong following in the Valley when she was on the air and many folks enjoyed her talks on events and local customs from days gone by.

Nancy’s last few years were challenging as she courageously battled against the onset of dementia. She lived comfortably in her remaining days at the Neenah VNA Care Center, where she received wonderful care. She also had the good fortune to have her granddaughter Amie working there as a caregiver, and this became a great opportunity to develop a special bond. The family is grateful to the entire staff for all they did for Nancy.

Along with her children and grandchildren, Nancy will be missed by her remaining family, including her many nieces and nephews, and especially by her close sister-in-law, Betty (Barker) Wolter.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial for Nancy on Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 11:30am at St. Mary Catholic Church in Menasha, 528 Second Street, with the Rev. Paul Paider officiating.

There will be visitation on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at the Wichmann Funeral Home-Laemmrich Chapel of Menasha, 312 Milwaukee Street. There will be a Parish Prayer Service at 7:00pm at the funeral home.

Visitation will continue on Thursday morning, October 10, 2019 from 10:30am to 11:30am at the church.

For more information and to express condolences, please visit www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com.