Memorial

Nancy Lee Wickersham, 94, died peacefully on March 13, 2026, in a Chula Vista, California, hospital following a brief illness. During her final days, Nancy’s seven children, as well as eight of her many grandchildren, converged on her bedside in Southern California to give thanks to a woman who devoted her life to making others feel special.

Born to Robert and Dorothy Lee in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on June 18, 1931, Nancy’s family, including sisters Patty and Priscilla, later moved to Adel, Iowa, where she would become valedictorian of her high school class, drum major, and starting forward on the Tigers’ six-girl basketball team. After high school, Nancy studied for one year at MacMurray College, in Jacksonville, Illinois, before transferring to Iowa State University, where she majored in home economics. On her college graduation day in the Spring of 1953, Nancy married William V. Hukill, Jr., and the two went on to bring seven children into the world before ending their union in 1981. Several years later, she married J. Robert Wickersham, whose love and devotion brought her happiness and peace.

A long-time resident of Cedar Rapids, Nancy lived briefly in Springdale, Arkansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, before spending her final five years with her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Rick Hine, in Coronado, California.

Through the years, Nancy was a fixture at her children’s events – baseball, basketball, and football games; concerts; plays; swim meets; and tennis matches – often with her beloved dog Pixie, or a piece of gnarled wood and a whittling knife, or her knitting needles and yarn. Knitting, though, was no hobby, it was her passion. As the years ticked by, she knit sweaters, hats, and gloves for children’s hospitals, as well as for her own children, grandchildren, great grandchildren; blankets and clothing for homeless shelters and for Warm Up for America; and prayer shawls for the National United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.

Nancy was a proud member of the Renegades, a seniors bicycling group that peddled across the Midwest, including rides across Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Closer to home, the Renegades could often be seen trekking back and forth from Cedar Rapids to Waterloo, with a stop along the way at Joensy’s for a tenderloin sandwich, a piece of pie, and a cup of coffee.

One of Nancy’s last tastes of food was ice cream, a fitting reminder of her love affair with that frosty staple. Her decades-long Sunday evening practice of preparing homemade chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream – and nothing else – is a tradition her descendants are sure to follow.

At her core, Nancy was a spiritual woman. Brought up in the Adel Christian Church, she spent her adult years as an active member of the Wakonda Christian Church in Des Moines; the First Christian and Noelridge Christian Churches in Cedar Rapids; and the Springdale Presbyterian Church in Springdale, Arkansas, both in person and online. She also spent more than 20 winters at Wycliffe Bible Translators in Duncanville, Texas, where she helped build retirement apartments and repair furniture for returning missionaries. In addition, Nancy was a 75-year member of The P.E.O. Sisterhood, an Iowa-based women’s organization that provides educational opportunities for female students worldwide.

Nancy is survived by her seven children: Craig (Holly) Hukill, of Takoma Park, MD; Linda (Rick) Hine, of Coronado, California; Sue (Phil) Black, of Highland Village, Texas; Molly Norris, of San Marcos, Texas; Brook Hukill, of Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Jill Cobb, of New Albany, Indiana; and Eric (Rhonda) Hukill, of Kansas City, Missouri. She also is survived by her husband Bob’s three daughters: Marsha (Dennis) Conley, of Ft. Collins, Colorado; Carol (Joe) Ward, of Gainesville, Florida; and Michelle Bliss, of Scottsdale, Arizona. Finally, Nancy is survived by a multitude of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom left a special, and lasting, imprint on her heart.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., June 20, 2026, at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories. Inurnment will follow.