Nancy Schwertley

Memorial services for Nancy R. Schwertley, age 86, of Norfolk, will be 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 16, 2026, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Norfolk. Reverend Gretchen Enoch will officiate, with inurnment at Graceland Park Cemetery in Omaha.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.  

Home for Funerals in Norfolk is in charge of arrangements. 

Nancy passed away Sunday, July 12, 2026. at Faith Health in Norfolk.

Nancy Schwertley was born, Nancy Rae Krause, at St. Catherine's Hospital in Omaha, NE, attended Cross Lutheran School with membership at First Lutheran Church, and graduated from South High School where she was a commencement speaker. She attended Wayne State College on scholarship, returned to Omaha, was married for three years and had one son, and worked for World Insurance Company in Omaha.

She later married Jack Schwertley and had another son, and moved with the family to Norfolk, NE at which time she commuted to Wayne State College to finish her college education.

Nancy taught at Washington, Woodland Park, and Bel Air Elementary schools as well as serving as adjunct faculty at Wayne State College and Norfolk Public Schools Gifted Summer Session Coordinator. She earned her MSE degree in 1976 from Wayne and gifted certification from UNL in 1986.

In 1994, Chairman of National Endowment for the Arts, Jane Alexander, visited Nancy's classroom arts activities which included a demonstration inspired by workshop training in "We Can Dance If We Want To." Nancy was recognized with PTA Life Membership, Mayor's Pat on the Back, Business & Professional Women's Woman of the Year, Extra Mile Award from NE Association for Gifted, Goals 2000 grant recipient from Education America Act, Norfolk Oscar from Norfolk Area Chamber, and First Lady of the Year from Alpha Nu Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.

Nancy served as Norfolk Youth Leadership Council Adult Advisor for ten years, Norfolk Arts Center Board of Directors and interim director, Norfolk Arts Center Guild, Nebraska Arts Council for six years, and was a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, Omaha Chapter of AAUW, PEO, NOTI Fork Questers, St. John's Lutheran Church, Elkhorn Valley Historical Museum, Joslyn Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago & Millinery Department, NE Humanities, and Western Heritage Museum. She spent many volunteer hours serving these different entities. Nancy researched and presented programs with her favorites being History of Millinery and Coco Chanel.

Nancy became a world traveler in her later years.

Nancy is survived by her sons, Jay Vyborny, William Schwertley and his wife Debbie and grandson Ryan of Memphis, TN; grandson, Forrest Schwertley (Amanda) and great-grandchildren, Eli, Wesley and Harper of Lincoln, NE; and brother-in-law, Harlan Harter of Omaha, NE.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Anne Krause; husband, John “Jack” D. Schwertley; brother, Fredric Krause; sister-in-law, Loraine Krause; sister-in-law, Mary Schwertley Brown and brother-in-law, John L. Brown; sister-in-law, Nancy Harter; and cousins, nieces, nephews, and many dear friends.

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