Date of Birth
March 6, 1935
Date of Death
June 17, 2022
Nancy Zak, age 87, of Elburn, passed away surrounded by the love and prayers of her family, Friday, June 17, 2022.
She was born March 6, 1935, in Chicago, to loving parents, James and Caroline Blaha.
Nancy grew up in Chicago and attended local schools. She graduated from Lindblom High School before pursuing a nursing degree.
Nancy met the love of her life, Rudolph “Rudy” Zak at SOKOL, a gymnastic organization. Both gymnasts, it wasn’t long before they tumbled for each other and rolled to the altar. They were united in marriage in 1956 and began their new life together in Chicago. Later, they moved to Lombard for a time before making a home in West Chicago. In the early 1990’s they moved once more to Elburn where they continued to make memories with a now growing family full of grandchildren.
Although Nancy worked at Mt. Sinai Hospital as a nursing student before concentrating on raising her children. Later she worked as a secretary in the city hall of West Chicago before working for her husband in his commercial photography studio where she helped with marketing. In time, Nancy began working for the Mayor of Warrenville before retiring and moving to Elburn.
Nancy was a active in the League of Women Voters in Lombard, as well as the Gordon Setter Highlanders, a regional canine organization that supported both Rudy and Nancy’s passion of breeding dogs for show, obedience and companionship.
Nancy loved the Wizard of Oz and trips to The Clearing in Door County. Through Waubonsee Community College, she worked with LLI, the Life Learning Institute and dabbled in floral design. Her faith was strong and was fed by the Community Congregational Church of Elburn, where she was a member of the choir for many years, although her singing talent may have been questioned privately by her family. Her garden always brought forth beautiful blooms year after year. She spent countless hours sewing holiday outfits and quilts for everyone in the family and had a creative spirit that reveled in many different arts and crafts, as well as writing a memoir. She loved animals of all kinds, but dogs found a special place in her heart for the many she bred and showed. In the eyes and hearts of her family, Nancy will be missed dearly but never forgotten.
She now leaves her four children: Bob (Alice) Zak, Jean Zak, Bill (Tatia) Zak and Jim (Jessica) Zak; 8 grandchildren: Valerie (Brett) Amen and their children: Everett and Barrett; Andy (Jaimee) Schackmann and their son Chace; Katie Zak, Annissa Zak, Jimmy Zak, David Zak, Tyler Zak and Ryan Zak; one brother, Thomas Blaha; many nieces, nephews, cousins and a community of friends.
She is now reunited with her husband Rudy Zak, her parents, James and Caroline Blaha; one sister, Geri and one brother James.
Visitation will be from 11-1p.m, with a funeral service to follow on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL 60119. Interment will follow at Garfield Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in Nancy’s name. Checks may be made to the “Nancy J. Zak Memorial” and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Memories and tributes may also be forwarded to the same address, the Conley Funeral Home Facebook Page, or at www.conleycare.com.
Visitation will be from 11-1p.m, with a funeral service to follow on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL 60119. Interment will follow at Garfield Cemetery.
Dear Jean,
Sue and I send our condolonces to you and your family having learned of the passing of your mom. Our prayers are with all of you as you go through this difficult time.
Blessings,
Doug and Sue Zimmerman
Dear Jim,
We are very sorry to hear of the passing of your mom and send our condolences. You and your family are in our thoughts.
Regards,
Beth, Edison, Bennett, and Justin
We don’t know Nancy but we do know her son Jim Zak…we all work for him at Caterpillar. Jim is one of the most caring, down-to-earth, empathic, smart and funny people that we know. He’s built a team where we not only appreciate and lift each other up at work but also feel like we’re actual brothers. It’s a true testament to any woman who raises a son like Jim…so Nancy is truly a special person. She should be praised for raising such amazing children and we’re sure her memory will live on.
Now we just need to see if her singing talent was passed on to Jim.
I will always remember singing with Nancy in the choir and our trips together to see various operas. We went to the Lyric Opera in Chicago I believe twice, once to the Arcada to see Madame Butterfly and several times to the Randall Movie theater for the Metropolitan Opera live broadcasts on the big screen. Nancy was a lover of music and a valued member of the Community Congregational Church choir. She will be dearly missed.
Sharon Lackey
Dear family of Nancy,
What a wonderful quite, yet interesting woman Nancy was to all of her friends at LLI. She was a joy and always managed a smile even when she had slowed down a bit. It was a priveledge to take her memoir class and be in classes along with her. Peace and prayers to you all for the loss of a beautiful spirit!
I am sorry to hear of Nancy’s passing. She and I knew each other best through Memoir Writers’ group, of which she was a founding member. It was a joy to listen to her read aloud her wonderful memoirs – stories of smelting, a special doll, training dogs, etc. – she had a gift for storytelling. I wish I had asked her for copies of all her stories! Nancy was a good friend and a great woman. She was very pleasant to spend time with. She will be missed. God bless her and her family and friends.