Nancy L Gibbons (Southern), our dearest mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully at her home on May 2nd, 2026, at 12:20 am. Nancy was an incredible mother, devoted and proud grandmother, caring daughter/sister/wife/friend, and devoted Chicago Bears fan who always had her door open for family and friends. Nancy was 79 years old and lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She was born on September 20th, 1946, in Illinois to the late Walter and Mabel (Andrews) Southern. She was the youngest of seven children: Millie, Ruby, Gene, Howard, Jane, and Wayne.
Nancy is survived by her daughter, Dawn de Rohan (Julie Siefers); her granddaughter, Mackenzie; her brother, Wayne Southern (Barb); and many other loving relatives and friends.
Nancy came from humble beginnings. She always strived to rise above them. She was very particular about her appearance and manners. She would save up for nice things when she could, earning the nickname “Fancy Nancy.” She believed in having financial security and worked hard to achieve it.
Nancy took pride in her achievements. She attended some college courses. She worked from the time she was a teenager until the last decade of her life. During high school, she had a close-knit circle of friends and remained very close friends with JoAnn and Judy their entire lives until each of them passed away. Nancy married her high school sweetheart, Rich DeRohan. She followed him around the country while he served in the Army. Then, she supported him while he went to college. They had a daughter, Dawn. Nancy was a working mom and hated missing out on her daughter‘s childhood. She and Rich divorced in 1978. She met her second husband, Terry Gibbons, when they were both working at Office Concepts. They married in 1987 and had many adventures.
Nancy worked her way up in a variety of business settings, holding different office jobs from Switchboard Operator to Office Manager to Trade Show Coordinator. When she retired from the business world, she had a second career as a teacher’s assistant to special needs children in the Kenosha school system. She retired from that to spend more time with her granddaughter. While Mackenzie was young, they had weekly play dates where they would visit the library or the park (among other places). Or they would play pretend or bake at home. What Grandma do you know who goes sledding when she’s 73?!
Nancy was always taking care of others. She was a co-chair for the Church Society Committee at First United Methodist Church in Waukegan, Illinois. In that role, she coordinated monthly meals for The Free Meal Program and organized donation drives and work crews for The Staben House, a shelter for homeless women. She organized her brothers and sisters to take care of their mother when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Nancy cared for Terry for 7 years until he passed from Alzheimer’s disease. She also helped care for her brother, Gene, and her sister, Jane, before their deaths.
Nancy loved flowers and loved to garden. She was a member of the Four Seasons Garden Club for many years. She coordinated the annual garden walk fundraiser. She was also a member of the Red Hat Society. She loved to read, to go to the movies, and to go out for margaritas with her close friends.
Nancy was the healthiest sick person you ever knew. Her health looked horrible on paper. She fought breast cancer for over 22 years, including a 12-year remission. Not many people survive as long. You knew her–she didn’t appear sick. She faked it well, but she was always in pain, never letting it show. You can’t say she gave up. I don’t want to say the cancer cells won. She went out on her terms: no lingering, no inconveniencing anyone, keeping her dignity and her independence.
The memorial service for Nancy will be held at Lord of Life Lutheran Church (5601 Washington Rd, Kenosha, WI 53144) on Thursday, May 28th, 2026: visitation at 1:00 pm, service at 2:00 pm. It will be live-streamed on Facebook under her niece’s account, Traci Southern Otte (there will also be public links to the stream on Dawn’s and Nancy’s FB pages). You don’t need to have a Facebook account to view the stream. During the service, there will be an opportunity to share your thoughts or memories of Nancy. You can share them yourself, or you can write them out ahead of time for the chaplain to read them for you. Folks from afar can message your stories to Traci on FB or at taotte@gmail.com. Refreshments will be served in the church’s fellowship hall immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The research they focus on, medications treating estrogen-based cancers, helped keep my mom alive for 22 years. —Thank you in advance, Dawn
