Nancy Carol Thurber

Nancy Carol Thurber (nee Zimmerman), 86, of Appleton, WI, passed away at ThedaCare Medical Center-Neenah on Jan. 6, 2025, just hours shy of her 87th birthday. She was born in Appleton, WI, on Jan. 7, 1938, the only child of Carl and Caroline Zimmerman. 

In grade school, Nancy briefly lived in Texas, where her father was stationed at Camp Wolters before his deployment to Europe during World War II. After the war, Nancy lived on an American base in West Germany, where her father was a member of the occupation forces. Her family returned to Wisconsin after her father’s discharge from the Army, where she graduated from Appleton Senior High School in 1956. 

She worked as a secretary at Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. from 1956 until she married Robert L. Thurber in 1959. The couple had three daughters before they divorced in 1968.

Nancy worked at Prange Way from 1968 until 1995. She worked at Kids R Us from 1995 to 2007. As a teenager and young adult, Nancy was an avid ballet dancer. When her children were young, she enjoyed traveling the U.S. with her family in her parents’ motorhome. She loved animals and shared her home with cats for most of her adult life. However, nothing gave her more joy than raising her children and spending time with her grandchildren.

Nancy is survived by two daughters, Renee (James) Prink and Kelley (Peter) Niles; two grandsons, Benjamin and Jordan Niles; and two granddaughters, Kayla Prink and Jamie (Christian) Leiske. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Nanette, and her parents.

Nancy will be interred at Appleton Highland Memorial Park during a private ceremony. Nancy’s family would like to thank the staff at ThedaCare Medical Center for their compassionate care.