Nancy Greta Hougard

Nancy Greta Hougard, 87, received the promise of eternal life after passing away unexpectedly on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.  She was born in Racine on December 14, 1932, daughter of the late Joseph and Linda (Née: Gildemeister) Konicek.

Nancy was married to the love of her life, Gerald “Jerry” Hougard, on April 26, 1951. Jerry preceded her in death on December 28, 2003.

Together with her husband, they owned and operated Jerry Hougard Mobil Service Stations and Hougard Auto Parts, Inc. for which Nancy was VP and bookkeeper extraordinaire. Nancy enjoyed Sunday family breakfasts and dining out at her favorite restaurants.  She also enjoyed knitting, cross stitch, playing cards with family and friends, hours of word search games, watching GSN, playing many fun-filled and competitive games of UNO, trips to the casino and dog track.

As a young girl she enjoyed swimming, cheerleading and fencing and later on bowling and family volleyball games on the driveway. She was an avid sports fan and you would be sure to see her attending sporting events of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as often as possible.  Making Christmas cutout cookies and family vacations were very important to her and the family cherishes all of these memories and time spent with her.

Nancy left the world a better place by loving others to the fullest and leaving us with her contagious laugh, infectious smile and is remembered fondly by all that have met her. Above all her happiest times were those spent with family and she always went above and beyond to put family first.

Nancy leaves to cherish her memory, her children, Cheryl (Ricky) Stenzel, Bonny Hougard, Debby (Robert) Cooper; 9 grandchildren, Amy (Greg), Jason (Jaime), Rachel, Dawn (Andrew), Jennifer (Robert), Karen, Tiffany, Tyler and Jonathan; 7 great-grandchildren, Cody, Sydney, Ayla, Chase, Ava, Caelab and Emma; sister, Suzanne Brown; brother, Joel (Judi) Konicek; other relatives and dear friends too numerous to mention by name.

In addition to her parents and husband, Nancy is preceded in death by her son, Roger Hougard; brother, Ronald (Honey) Konicek; brother-in-law, Joe Brown; close aunts, Verna Gildemeister, Dorothy Konicek, Ella Hoffman, and Irma Kozumplik.

A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held on Friday, November 27, 2020, 11:30am, at Grace Lutheran Church, 3700 Washington Avenue, with Rev. Brian Crane and Rev. Don Hougard officiating.  Visitation will be from 9:30am until the time of the service.  Please visit the Grace Lutheran Church Facebook page on Friday to view the live event.  Burial will follow at West Lawn Memorial Park.  The family has suggested memorials to Racine Lutheran High School.

Special thanks to her beautician and friend Joan of 38 years and to her caregivers Tina, Alma, Muriel, Mo and Brenda. 

In memory of Mom, please remember to show one random act of kindness every day to honor her love for life.