In Memory Of
Nancy Bathke
1938
2013
Nancy Bathke
June 17, 1938 — July 18, 2013
Nancy Edna Bathke, 75, was born on June 17, 1938, to Fred and Jean Bittner of Dodgeville, Wis. She died on July 18, 2013, near Machu Picchu, Peru. Memorial services will be conducted at 11 AM on Saturday, August 10, 2013 at the Littleton United Methodist Church, 5894 S. Datura St., Littleton, reception following. Memorial contributions may be made to the Littleton United Methodist Church Music Program, the American Heart Association, or a charity of the donor's choice.
Nancy lived in Middleton, Wis., from the age of three, until university graduation in 1960. Growing up in a very musical family, she learned to play the violin and piano as a pre-schooler. Nancy graduated from the University of Wisconsin High School in 1956. She received a BS in Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1960, and an MA, Education, from the University of Colorado in 1965. Nancy met Edwin (Ed) Bathke at the University of Wisconsin, and they were married in Middleton, Wis. on June 8, 1960. They moved to Arvada, Colo., where she taught third and fourth grades at Reed St. Elementary School of Jefferson County, in Wheat Ridge, from 1960 to 1967. In 1967 she began a teaching career for the Academy District 20, El Paso County, and retired in 1993, after a total of 33 years of teaching. Nancy taught all grades from first to fifth, and ended her years at District 20 as a computer teacher at Woodmen Valley School. She also taught at Pine Valley and Douglass Valley Elementary schools, on the US Air Force Academy grounds.
As a child Nancy lived in Mineral Point and Middleton, Wis., and during her career, in Arvada, Lakewood, Colorado Springs, and Manitou Springs. In 2002 Nancy and Ed moved to Roxborough Park, in a picturesque setting that they relished in their retirement.
Nancy and Ed shared an active hobby in Western history. They were both members of Westerners groups: the Denver Posse, the Pikes Peak Posse, the Boulder County Corral, and the Colorado Corral. Nancy served as the Sheriff of the first three of these, perhaps unique among the over 100 Westerners groups around the world. They were members of the Ghost Town Club of Colorado since 1961, and of the Ghost Town Club, Colorado Springs, as well as various local historical societies. Nancy enjoyed researching and writing about the history of Colorado, and had articles published by the Denver Westerners and in the Pikes Peak Library District Symposia.
Nancy's love of travel started in 1955 when she was an American Field Service exchange student to Germany. She and Ed camped in Colorado, and visited all fifty of the United States, at times with a small Airstream trailer, or a "Minnie-Winnie" motor home. Foreign travel for the two started in 1985 with a month in Great Britain, and then following retirement in the early 1990s, began in earnest. They visited all seven continents, cruised the Panama Canal, the Baltic Sea, the Rhine and Danube Rivers, The Alaskan Inland Waterway, and the Caribbean Sea. Other destinations were Egypt, Israel, the German and Austrian Christmas markets, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Viewing wildlife in the US and Canada was enjoyed very much, especially by Nancy. These interests were highlighted by a safari in the Serengeti in July 2012, a gorilla trek in Uganda in January 2012, and Antarctica. The final trip, to Machu Picchu, was a lifetime goal, and the three days there were a joy and thrill almost to the end.
Nancy is survived by her husband Ed, her brother-in-law Dave, and sister-in-law Iona Bathke, sister-in-laws Elizabeth Bittner and Norma Jean Bittner; cousins Eileen and Betsy Dunne, Joyce Pinkerton, and Shirley Fifield; nephews and nieces, Elizabeth (Glenn) Evans, Robert (Anne) Bittner, Andrew (Katherine) Bittner, Linda Kay Bittner, Steven (Erika) Bathke, and Jeffrey (Cathy) Bathke; and great-nieces and nephews: Christiana, Shannon, Kimberly and Danielle Evans; Brielle and Scott Bittner; and Sarah and Will Bathke. She is pre-deceased by her parents, and her brothers Robert and David.
To share a memory of Nancy or leave a special condolence message for her family, please visit the guestbook below.
Nancy lived in Middleton, Wis., from the age of three, until university graduation in 1960. Growing up in a very musical family, she learned to play the violin and piano as a pre-schooler. Nancy graduated from the University of Wisconsin High School in 1956. She received a BS in Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1960, and an MA, Education, from the University of Colorado in 1965. Nancy met Edwin (Ed) Bathke at the University of Wisconsin, and they were married in Middleton, Wis. on June 8, 1960. They moved to Arvada, Colo., where she taught third and fourth grades at Reed St. Elementary School of Jefferson County, in Wheat Ridge, from 1960 to 1967. In 1967 she began a teaching career for the Academy District 20, El Paso County, and retired in 1993, after a total of 33 years of teaching. Nancy taught all grades from first to fifth, and ended her years at District 20 as a computer teacher at Woodmen Valley School. She also taught at Pine Valley and Douglass Valley Elementary schools, on the US Air Force Academy grounds.
As a child Nancy lived in Mineral Point and Middleton, Wis., and during her career, in Arvada, Lakewood, Colorado Springs, and Manitou Springs. In 2002 Nancy and Ed moved to Roxborough Park, in a picturesque setting that they relished in their retirement.
Nancy and Ed shared an active hobby in Western history. They were both members of Westerners groups: the Denver Posse, the Pikes Peak Posse, the Boulder County Corral, and the Colorado Corral. Nancy served as the Sheriff of the first three of these, perhaps unique among the over 100 Westerners groups around the world. They were members of the Ghost Town Club of Colorado since 1961, and of the Ghost Town Club, Colorado Springs, as well as various local historical societies. Nancy enjoyed researching and writing about the history of Colorado, and had articles published by the Denver Westerners and in the Pikes Peak Library District Symposia.
Nancy's love of travel started in 1955 when she was an American Field Service exchange student to Germany. She and Ed camped in Colorado, and visited all fifty of the United States, at times with a small Airstream trailer, or a "Minnie-Winnie" motor home. Foreign travel for the two started in 1985 with a month in Great Britain, and then following retirement in the early 1990s, began in earnest. They visited all seven continents, cruised the Panama Canal, the Baltic Sea, the Rhine and Danube Rivers, The Alaskan Inland Waterway, and the Caribbean Sea. Other destinations were Egypt, Israel, the German and Austrian Christmas markets, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Viewing wildlife in the US and Canada was enjoyed very much, especially by Nancy. These interests were highlighted by a safari in the Serengeti in July 2012, a gorilla trek in Uganda in January 2012, and Antarctica. The final trip, to Machu Picchu, was a lifetime goal, and the three days there were a joy and thrill almost to the end.
Nancy is survived by her husband Ed, her brother-in-law Dave, and sister-in-law Iona Bathke, sister-in-laws Elizabeth Bittner and Norma Jean Bittner; cousins Eileen and Betsy Dunne, Joyce Pinkerton, and Shirley Fifield; nephews and nieces, Elizabeth (Glenn) Evans, Robert (Anne) Bittner, Andrew (Katherine) Bittner, Linda Kay Bittner, Steven (Erika) Bathke, and Jeffrey (Cathy) Bathke; and great-nieces and nephews: Christiana, Shannon, Kimberly and Danielle Evans; Brielle and Scott Bittner; and Sarah and Will Bathke. She is pre-deceased by her parents, and her brothers Robert and David.
To share a memory of Nancy or leave a special condolence message for her family, please visit the guestbook below.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Nancy Bathke, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Memorial Service
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Starts at 11:00 am (Mountain time)
Littleton United Methodist Church
Guestbook
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