Obituary of Joyce May Nass

Joyce May Nass died unexpectedly but peacefully in her home on Sunday, April 11, 2010. She was a strong, kind, creative and generous woman who lived her life with passion and curiosity. Those who loved her will miss the sound of her easy and joyous laugh, her healthy wit and her many charming quirks. Joyce lived all but a few years of her life in Whitewater, Wisconsin, where she was born on December 19, 1929, to Florence (Jacobs) and Leonard Sherman. Shortly after graduating from Whitewater High School she met Wilfred (Willy) Nass, also of Whitewater, and married him in 1948. They had four children, 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, all of whom have lost a sparkling light in their lives with her passing. As a young woman, Joyce worked as a telephone operator and owned the Whitewater Cab Company with Willy. She worked for over 20 years as a teletypist at Sears, Roebuck & Co. and, in retirement, was a cook at Washington Elementary School. She volunteered regularly at the local blood bank and election polls, and was a member of St. John�s Evangelical Lutheran Church and the local Homemakers Club. Joyce loved any music to which she could whistle or sing and spent as many evenings of her life as possible dancing polkas and waltzes with her husband. She constantly sought ways to make her world bigger, from the extensive travel she enjoyed with her family to university classes she took with her granddaughter. Through her example, Joyce instilled in her children a kindness and responsibility to animals, a love of travel and a strong sense of independence. While Joyce was quick to laugh at herself, she was exceptionally sensitive toward others. She was deeply patriotic and had great appreciation for the armed services. She was a collector of many, many things and a crafter extraordinaire. She had a great appetite for good stories and a greener thumb than she would ever admit. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Madelaine Reese. She is survived by her husband; her children: Wilfred/Wally (Beverly Bubner) Nass, Jr. of Russiaville, IN; Stephen Nass (partner Sheila Reiff of Elkhorn, WI) of Whitewater, WI; Melodie (Jim) Flewelling of Janesville, WI; and Heidi Nass (Tariq) Saqqaf of Madison, WI; her grandchildren; her great-grandchildren; her sister, Linda (Pieter) Van Beem; several nieces and nephews and her beloved tribe of rescued cats. Visitation will be on Thursday, April 15, 2010, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Friday, April 16, 2010, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, Wisconsin. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday at the same location. In honor of Joyce�s steadfast commitment to animal welfare and in lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Touched by a Paw in Whitewater or the Jefferson County Humane Society.