Nancy Bergert

Bergert Nancy Lee Bergert was born July 7, 1948 in Davenport, Iowa. Nancy graduated from Belle Plaine High School in 1966. She attended the University of Iowa graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in 1970 and a Master's Degree in 1978. Nancy taught and coached in Rockford, Illinois and Cedar Rapids, Iowa before taking the job as Activities Director at Buffalo High School in 1981. In July of 2002, Nancy was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. After a 20 month battle with the disease, Nancy died March 20, 2003 at the Buffalo Hospital surrounded by people she loved. Nancy was involved with school athletics her entire life. She was the first female 440 yard dashState Champion in the history of Iowa and was named to the Iowa Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1994. Nancy was on the University of Iowa golf team and the Univer-sity's Highlander Bagpipe Band. Nancy taught physical education and coached in Iowa for 11 years taking a variety of teams to state tournaments. Nancy's tenure as Activities Director at Buffalo High School spanned 22 years. During that time Nancy was instrumental in adding many girl's and boy's sports, Special Olympic contests and a wide variety of academic competitive activities. Nancy believed all students had gifts and talents and championed the idea of a comprehensive co-curricular approach that offered a wide variety of sports and activities. Nancy was named the Minnesota Class AA Athletic Director of the Year in 1993. She was the first woman to receive the honor. In February of 2003 she received the Marie Berg Award from the Minnesota Committee for the Celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports, honoring her career as a pioneer in creating equitable opportunities for women athletes. Nancy's legacy will be her commitment and passionate promotion of individual student participation and success. Nancy was very involved as a leader and volunteer in a number of state and community organizations including the Minnesota Athletic Directors Association, Buffalo Friends of the Parks Committee, Special Olympics, Minnesota Fine Arts and St. Henry's Parish. She loved spending time with friends, playing golf, skiing in Colorado, biking in Wisconsin, attending sports events and concerts. Nancy is survived by her parents, Virginia and Richard Bergert; brother, Jerry Bergert and his wife, Marge; sister, Janice Bergert; nephew, James Bergert and his sons, Kyle and Seth, and many other relatives and friends. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2003 at 10:30 am at St. Henry's Catholic Church in Monticello. Family interment will be in Belle Plaine, Iowa at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to the District 877 Scholarship Endowment Fund. Serving the family... Peterson Chapel Buffalo

Published on March 22, 2003