05/08/2026
I will be closed this weekend , thank you for your understanding .
Nancy Ann Schmelzer, age 88, passed away on May 8th, 2026 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. Born to Alyce and Stewart Schmelzer on April 19th, 1938, Nancy was a Madison native and a 1956 graduate of West High School. She went on to attend the University of Wisconsin where she received both her Bachelor’s of Arts in Anthropology and her Master’s of Social Work.
Her return to university in 1968 was the catalyst which founded the groundwork of her beliefs. Nancy was a social worker by craft, an activist by temperament, and a wild woman at heart. Her time at the Neighborhood House was inimitable , though she spent all of her life’s work caring for those in need. From the Vietnam War Protests to the No Kings March, Nancy was proudly politically outspoken. She was a lover of the arts and literature, and enjoyed nature in all forms. Nancy loved to reminisce and always had a story to tell; she could strike up a conversation anywhere, anytime with anyone, including the animals in her garden. Her greatest accomplishment, in her words, were her children and grandchildren, whom she loved deeply.
Nancy is survived by her three children; Thaddeus Austin (Aurelia Wills), Kristin Austin (Michael Matheson) and Joseph Sack (David Hatch); her grandchildren; Stewart Austin, Jessie Austin-O’Neil (Eoghan O’Neil), Miles Austin and Isabella Matheson; her great-grandchild, Roisin O’Neil and her former husband, Michael Sack. She was preceded in death by her parents, whom she loved dearly, as well as her former husband, Wayne Austin.
Information regarding a service for Nancy will be posted at a later date.