Nancy C. Andersen

Visitation for Nancy C. Andersen (nee Swetonic), 74, of Prospect Heights, will be held Wednesday, October 27, 2021 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 201 N. Northwest Highway, Palatine. The Funeral Service will begin Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. also at the Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, Palatine.  An Interment will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Arlington Heights. Those unable to attend the Services on Thursday are welcome to join the family via this streaming link, http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/62795

Nancy was born June 2, 1947 in Chicago and passed away October 24, 2021 in Arlington Heights.

Nancy was the beloved wife of Barry V. Andersen; loving mother of Ryan (Vicki) Andersen, Sean (Carolyn) Andersen and Wendy Andersen; loving grandmother of Dylan, Devin and Riley; dear daughter of the late Anthony and Lorraine (nee Palewicz) Swetonic.

Nancy was born at Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago. She spent her early childhood years living on Belle Plaine in Portage Park. In the early fifties, Nancy and her parents moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Nancy always had fond memories of growing up in Michigan. In 1959, her family returned to the Chicagoland area and settled in Prospect Heights. Nancy attended St. Alphonsus Liguori School and Prospect High School. She eventually went on to be among the first graduating class of Wheeling High school, where she was also a member of the school’s drill team.

Following high school, Nancy attended Northern Illinois University and Harper College, where she enrolled in a variety of general education and secretarial courses. In 1967, Nancy began working at a company called Western Electric (which would later become AT&T). Nancy loved her time at Western Electric; there she always said she did a “little bit of everything,” from secretarial work to assisting the engineers. Nancy thrived in any environment where her gift for gab was an asset. Ever the social butterfly, she was also a member of the company’s ski club and bowling league.

As fate would have it, Nancy and Barry travelled in similar circles and saw one another from time to time, often at the bowling alley. One night, Barry asked Nancy to go out for drinks.  To Nancy’s surprise, Barry did not mean sharing a drink at the bowling alley after a few rounds. Instead, he brought her to a local watering hole where they talked the night away. They were married on September 29th, 1973, which was also the date of Nancy’s parents’ 33rd wedding anniversary. Upon the birth of her first child in 1978, Nancy left Western Electric and transitioned to her final career of what she called a “domestic engineer.” Nancy and Barry went on to have two more children, and raised their family in Prospect Heights, not far from where Nancy grew up. Here she watched her children attend grade school, high school, and college. Always actively participating in their lives as a room mom, snack mom, or that cool mom who always had gum in her purse and something neat to tell or show you.

Nancy had many interests and passions. She especially loved decorating for the holidays, always looking to find something unique and eye-catching to adorn her bookshelves. Her all-time-favorite holiday was Halloween, a love her children and grandchildren continue to share today. Nancy enjoyed crafting, and was known for her tomato cage people which she painstakingly designed and redesigned until they were perfect. She also loved to organize. She enjoyed arranging and rearranging bookshelves, cabinets, etc. until they looked just right.

If there was one thing Nancy didn’t love, it was being bored. She was magnetic and adventurous. Regular trips to Vegas, drives to Milwaukee and to New Buffalo, wherever she was it didn’t matter, she loved to gamble. Slots mostly, a little blackjack, but some of her favorite memories were of playing Pai Gow poker in Vegas with “the group.” Reading was another way Nancy nourished her adventurous spirit, as she would read almost anything. Although, from the moment she began the series, Harry Potter became a favorite of hers. Nancy lived to be entertained. She loved puzzles, whether they be crossword, sudoku, jigsaw, or word jumbles, it didn’t matter because she enjoyed them all. She also loved musicals; Nancy and her daughter, Wendy, regularly bought season tickets to the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre. More than anything, she loved to ask questions and hear her family telling stories. She could sit for hours talking with her dad about everything. She was completely enamored by her three grandchildren.

It is difficult to put into words the essences of someone’s life, and the words above do not do Nancy justice. Nancy herself stated that she had lead a good life.  There was so much love, so many adventures, lots of yelling, and lots of laughter. She left a lasting impression on everyone she met and she will be missed dearly by her family and friends.