Nancy E. Haas

Nancy E. Haas, 81, of Fort Collins, died November 13, 2011 at a local nursing care facility. She was a loving and caring wife and mother, a great friend to many, and will be sorely missed. Mrs. Haas was born January 3, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to William Wilke, Jr. and Martha Meyn Wilke. Nancy spent her early years in Hammond, Indiana and graduated from Hammond High School. She continued her education at McMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and the University of Chicago, where she earned her M.B.A. While in Chicago, she met her husband, Willard "Will" Haas. They were married on August 31, 1951 in Chicago. After two years in Chicago, Nancy and Will moved to Homewood, and then Olympia Fields, southern suburbs of Chicago. In addition to raising a family, she found time to offer her services to Infant Welfare and The League of Women Voters. She was an active member of the United Methodist Church. She served many years as a board member of the Olympia Fields Park District and was a founding board member of the Irons-Oak Environmental Learning Center in Olympia Fields, Illinois. Nancy was a voracious reader, avid gardener, and a dedicated environmentalist for several years. Summer vacations meant camping and hiking in our Western National Parks. Her favorite hiking destination was probably the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and South Carolina. Over some 30 visits Nancy and Will hiked over 1200 miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At one time she owned a cabin in Townsend, Tennessee, adjacent to the park. Survivors include her husband, Will of Ft. Collins; six children, Cheryl McKeon and her husband, Mark of Ft. Collins, Ellen Cutter of Oak Park, Illinois, Catherine Mayster of Lake Zurich, Illinois, Laura Riemer and her husband, Dan of Spring, Texas, Tom Haas of Demotte, Indiana, and Rob Haas and his wife, Sharyl of Ft. Collins. 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Also surviving are five nieces and nephews, Peter Wilke, Father David Wilke, Lynn Wilke Bolanowski, Mark Melichar, Diana Melichar; and a sister-in-law, Shirley Haas. Preceding Nancy in death are her parents; a daughter, Mary Carolyn Haas; her brother, William P. Wilke, III; three sisters, Martha Wilke "Sis" Blood, Millicent Virginia Wilke, and Margo Katherine Wilke Melichar. A Memorial Service will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church, 916 W. Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to the Mayo Clinic in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive St., Ft. Collins, CO 80524.