Nancy Mueller

Nancy Lou Mueller of Champaign, passed away peacefully at 2:20 am, Friday, October 18, 2019 at her “home away from home”, the Villas of Hollybrook Reflections, Rantoul, IL.

Nancy was born April, 8, 1940 in Mt. Vernon, IL to Elmer and Carmela (Lena) Hart. They preceded her in death. Her father (US Navy veteran) was working there as a carpenter under the Post-WWII WPA program.  Her birthright was a lifelong love of travel.

Nancy loved her brothers and sisters: Joyce (“big brother” Don, who preceded her in death) of Seattle, Wa, Sam (Barb) of Mt. Vernon, Il, Carla Jo “BSD” (Mike) Browning of McLeansboro, Il, and Jim (Marla) of Rantoul, Il.  She also remained very close to her former in-laws (Tony and Emily, Bernard, Jeanette and Larry, and Butch and Mary, and Roseann) over the years, all of whom preceded her in death except for Roseann Kristen, who resides with her large family in Southern Illinois.

Nancy met her soulmate, James (Jim) E. Mueller Sr. through a blind date that was intended as a prank by two of their mutually exclusive friends. Little did they know that their bad joke would backfire and he would fall so hard for this lady with three children. He called them his “Package Deal.” They were married on October 12, 1963 in Nancy’s grandparents’ living room by a Justice of the Peace.  Jim survives. Together they raised the three, plus two more children:  Kathy (Frank) Young of Mahomet, Mike (special friend Erin) of Kennesaw, Ga, David (special friend Tina) of Champaign, James Jr (Jimbo, who preceded her in death) (Karen) of Fisher, Illinois, Ken of Champaign. Also surviving are their nine grandchildren, Michelle (Troy) Miller, Jason Young, Erin (Luke) Wheeler, Shelby (Justin Falls) Mueller, Cole and Nate Mueller, Karson Pacunas (Nick) Cotter, Garrison and Bryson Pacunas.

They also have seven great-grandchildren, Ryan and Tyler Miller, Michael Mueller, Mikayla and Mikenna Wheeler, Aubri Young, and Ava Cotter.

Nancy was well known in the community for her exceptional sewing talents.  She apprenticed under her father-in-law (Robert (Margaret) Mueller) as a men’s tailor and worked for many years at various men’s clothing stores in Champaign Urbana.  She performed many alterations on party and wedding dressings, as well. She collected dolls, made clothes for them, and won a number of prizes in the Champaign National Bank Dress-a-Doll Contests. She could do anything that required a needle and thread, knitting needles, crochet hooks, or other craft items.  She knitted helmet liners for our troops and caps for babies in the Presence Hospital (now OSF) nursery.

Nancy and her family would especially like to thank all the staff of the facilities she has called “home away from home” over the last three years:  BridleBrook in Mahomet, Villa West, (now Evergreen Place) in Champaign, and finally The Villas of Hollybrook, Reflections in Rantoul who supported Jim living with Nancy over the last eighteen months. We became particularly close to the Reflections staff who affectionally called her “Fancy Nancy.”  We cannot forget the Transitions Hospice staff for their support and care over the last year.

Nancy was proud to be a research participant in the Idea Study at Christie Clinic in April, 2017.  The goal of the study has been the development and implementation of a diagnostic tool to succinctly diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

Visitation will be held from 9 to 11 am, Thursday, October 24, 2019 at Blair-Owens Funeral Home, 102 E. Dunbar, Mahomet.  There will be no service. 

In lieu of flowers, the family would be honored by any memorials made to the Illinois Alzheimer’s Association, 8430 W. Bryn Mawr Ave #800, Chicago, IL 60631, or act.alz.org (Team Pops) in the name of Nancy Mueller and Bill (Pops) Mueller.  Nancy was honored to have her name included with Bill’s in the recent local Walk to END Alzheimer’s on October 5.

 

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