Nancy Szafryk, 54, of Brookings, passed away on Oct. 8, 2024, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska with her family by her side.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, at 1 p.m. at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings with a time of fellowship following the service. Visitation will be held the evening prior, Sunday, Oct. 13, from 2 until 4 p.m. at Eidsness Funeral Home. Interment will take place at future date. Although floral gifts are appreciated, the Szafryk family suggests that donations be made to family so that they may be given to a charity important to Nancy’s interests.
Nancy was born July 14, 1970, in Fairmont, MN, to Gaylord and Mary Keck. She loved growing up exploring Cedar Creek Park, raising eyebrows and smiles running wild through her Willow Street neighborhood, watching football on Sundays with her dad, and pestering her older sister.
In 1992, she moved to Brookings, SD, to pursue a degree in Parks and Recreation at South Dakota State University, put her roots down, and make an impression on anyone who had the pleasure of crossing paths with her in the 30 years she lived in the community.
On Jan. 10, 1996, Nancy married David Szafryk in Brookings, South Dakota. They were the best of friends and made many memories together. She told stories of their adventures camping, hiking, canoeing, going to concerts, road trips, and enjoying all of their moments together. They were blessed with two beautiful children, Dana and Jay, whom Nancy loved to coach, explore with, and was very proud of. She was an amazing mother who taught her children to laugh and love the little things in life, as she always did.
Nancy worked at Prairie Graphics for over 25 years and took great pride in her work. She lovingly became known as Nanner, Red, and Gabby as she had a gift of gab and a unique, fiery spirit that matched the hair on her head. She had been a Girl Scout Leader in the community, but she was also known for her competitive spirit, and loved her time coaching and playing softball, playing volleyball, and golfing with friends and family.
Nancy loved to be outside whether it was gardening at her home in Brookings, SD, or “looking at stuff”, as she would say, exploring the State Parks of South Dakota and Minnesota. Her other hobbies included feeding all of her critters, watching Jackrabbit and Vikings football, and spending time with her friends and family. She was always known for having a smile and full bellied laugh.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, David; her two children, Dana of Sioux Falls, SD, and Jay of Sheboygan, WI; her mother, Mary Keck of Ortonville, MN; sister, Susan Andersen of Ortonville and nephew, Lars Andersen of Oxford, MS. She is preceded in death by her father, Gaylord Keck.
She is remembered for her kindness, curiosity, huge heart, love for animals, and lighting up any room she enters, a true force of life that will be missed dearly by many.
