December 4th, 1933 - September 16th, 2021
Nancy Lems, devoted mother, wife, sister and grandmother passed away peacefully on September 16 in her home surrounded by family after an extended illness.
Nancy was married for 62 years to Peter Lems, a mechanical engineer and executive. Together they had two children and four grandchildren.
She was born in Saint Charles, Illinois to Harold and Marian Rogan. The eldest of four children, Nancy graduated from Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest, Illinois with a dietetics major and English minor. She spent two years in Boston as a dietetic intern and later worked in Chicago in public relations and as an editor for trade magazines.
An avid reader, she belonged to a Wilmette, Illinois book group that met for 33 years. Her other interests included art, music and drama.
Cooking, however, was what she was most enthusiastic about. Julia Child provided her great inspiration, and the many excellent cooks and authors who came later carried on the tradition for Nancy. She collected antique British and American cookbooks and also went on cooking school trips to France.
When the children were growing up, the family spent many vacations at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, often joined by the families of friends and relatives.
Little did Nancy know how fateful these trips would prove to be. She had raised two children who viewed the Centennial State as the only place they ever wanted to live. After college and marriage, both children lived in several towns before settling in Boulder in the 1990s. Nancy and Peter moved to Boulder in 2015 and the family was happily reunited.
Besides her husband Peter, Nancy is survived by her two children Mimi Repucci (Mike) and Greg Lems (Sarah), both in Boulder, Colorado; as well as grandchildren Alex Repucci (Taylor) of St. Paul, MN, Peter Repucci (Jing) of New York, NY, Katrina Lems of Sherman Oaks, CA and Megan Lems of Fort Collins, CO. She is also survived by her brother Don Rogan and family of Evanston, IL, as well as her sister Carol Bellero and family of San Rafael, CA.
Plans for a memorial service at a future date will be announced when they are finalized.
