Nancy Marie Fennern, age 61, of Baldwin, WI, died suddenly on October 5, 2021 at Western Wisconsin Health in Baldwin after a battle with cancer, surrounded by her loving family.
Nancy was born on October 9, 1959, in Grantsburg, WI to Wesley Emmons and Beatrice Mae (Halstead) Olson. She attended grade school and grew up in Grantsburg, WI. As a child she enjoyed spending time with her beloved Grandma Emma. She graduated from Amery High School, the class of 1977. She continued her studies for a period of time at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and later earned her Business Degree from the Minnesota School of Business. After college, she worked for the Pillsbury Corporation in downtown Minneapolis. She and Eric began dating and then moved to Anchorage, AK where Eric worked for the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic. They came home to Amery, WI to be married on May 9th, 1981. They later relocated to Quincy, IL, while Eric attended Gem City College. When he finished school they moved to Baldwin, WI where they opened Fennern Jewelers in downtown Baldwin. In 1989, they were blessed with their daughter, Allison.
Nancy was passionate about the jewelry store and had a true joy for every client she served. In the 38 years of owning and operating the store, she loved helping hundreds, if not thousands, of people get married. In her free time, she enjoyed the many travels she took with family and friends to various places including Italy and the wineries of California. Spending time with family and friends over a glass of red wine was her happy place. Nancy was the pillar of her family, and adored planning all of the holiday and family events for both the Olson and Fennern families. She was also very active in the community, serving on the June Bug Days committee and Chamber of Commerce Board. She was a natural caregiver, never complained, she was always humble, and had a consistently happy and smiling presence to everyone that she knew and met.
She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Eric; daughter, Allison (Maddie Napolski); brothers, Dale (Susan) and Roger (Terri); along with many nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends. She is preceded in death by her parents.
A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 10, 2021 at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home, 1010 Newton St., Baldwin. A Memorial Service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, October 11, 2021 at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 1350 Florence St., Baldwin with a gathering held one hour prior to the service at church. The service will be live-streamed on the church’s Facebook page.
