Nanci Anne Bjorling

On the evening of March 30, 1953, Nancy JoAnne Zatt interrupted that night’s episode of I Love Lucy. Though it wasn’t the first time she had bothered her mother, it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Born that night in a Chicago hospital, Nancy would remain “Nancy Jo” to those who knew her best until she reached an age where personal agency allowed her to drop the “Jo” and replace the “y” with an “i.”

The family—now joined by brothers Mark and Scott—chased her father’s career to Detroit, New Jersey, and finally back to Barrington, IL, where she graduated from high school. After spending a year as the University of Houston’s live cougar companion (yes, she was literally a lion tamer) and keeping the University of Texas’ talented freshman golfer, Ben Crenshaw, from losing a hand while trying to pet the mountain lion, Nanci returned to Illinois to complete her undergraduate work at Millikin University.

During the fall of her senior year, she foolishly accepted a blind date with a promising veterinary student—whom she would later marry. In 1976, she earned her master’s degree in Education from the University of Illinois and married the aforementioned veterinary student, who then moved her to Davis, California, to continue his education. That trend would continue as the couple relocated again to Athens, Georgia, where she applied her master’s degree to great effect, creating the Business Skills internship program used by all 22 of Georgia’s technical colleges.

Their first child, Eric, arrived in 1982, and a few years later, a desire to be closer to family—along with an opening at the University of Wisconsin—brought the young family to Madison. Soon after arriving in Madison, their second son, Christopher, was born. Now a mother in search of flexibility, Nanci joined Orange Tree Imports as their marketing manager, a position she would hold for 35 years.

Sustained by her love of family, she conquered cancer three times, along with other miscellaneous medical adventures. Diagnosed with ALS in 2023, Nanci continued her work with Orange Tree until the fall of 2024. She passed away on January 29, 2025, from respiratory complications, a deeply beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend.

Armed with a laugh that could fill a room and penmanship worthy of artistic exhibition, Nanci Bjorling touched the lives of countless individuals. Nanci and her family express their deepest appreciation for all of the healthcare providers who supported her at UW Hospital.

She is survived by her mother, Margueritte Zatt; her husband, Dale; her sons, Eric (Tracy, Gwendolyn, Rory, and Callum) and Chris (Danielle, Lula, Margueritte, and Elle); and her brother, Scott (Dawn).

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Nanci would most appropriately be directed to organizations she was passionate about—Second Harvest Food Pantry, PBS Wisconsin, the Overture Center for the Arts, and the Dane County Humane Society.

Please share your memories of Nanci by posting in her Guestbook.

Cress Funeral Service

3610 Speedway Road, Madison

(608) 238-3434