Nancy Pish

Nancy M. Pish 1940-2024
(Masciola, Burke)

A hard-working and fiercely independent entrepreneur, Nancy Carol (Masciola) Pish, aged 83, of
Bartlett, died at JourneyCare Hospice in Barrington, Illinois on March 12, 2024, after a nine-year
battle with cancer.

Nancy was born in Belvidere, Illinois on August 17, 1940, to Clarence John and Eleanor Esther
(Dombrow) Masciola. She had many fond memories of her childhood, and frequently recalled
for her daughters and granddaughters her adventures with her cousin, Donald Zielinski (of
Texas), visits with her family to Prince’s Resort at Cornell Lake, of her family’s home on Green
Lake, and stories about her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and extended Italian family. Throughout
her life, Nancy revered her father as her hero.

Nancy spent her early years in Illinois, moving from her birthplace in Belvidere, where her father
operated a tavern, to Berwyn, where her mother’s parents resided. She attended elementary
school in Glen Ellyn before moving to Elmwood Park, where she graduated high school in 1958.
For seventy years, she remained close to many of her Elmwood Park High School friends,
especially Annemarie Stohl (of Waukegan) and Ray (Sharon) Henningsen (of Tennessee).
Decades later, she still enjoyed visiting Russell’s Barbecue on North Thatcher Avenue.
Nancy would often tell her granddaughters that she was thankful to have had the opportunity to
go to college, where her favorite subject was biology. She attended Michigan State University,
graduating in 1962, with a degree in Speech Pathology. She taught school in Michigan before
relocating to Milwaukee, and in 1973, to Bartlett where she raised her daughters, Kelly and Jully
(Jules). There, she was active as a substitute teacher, a Girl Scout leader, and in the PTA, helping
to produce the Bartlett Elementary School musical “Thank you Luther B!” Until the time of her
passing, she remained close to many friends who also arrived in Bartlett during those years,
particularly Doris Noble (of Huntley) with whom she still enjoyed regular lunch dates.
After returning to the workforce in the late 1970’s, Nancy founded N. Burke Advertising in
1983. She was a successful business owner for thirty-five years, retiring at last in December
2018. She was always especially grateful to her Office Manager, Judy (Walter) Wright, for
helping her to grow and sustain her business, and to the late Tom Henderson, an early coworker
who became a close friend.

In 1991, on a beach in Hawaii, Nancy married her true love, the late Paul Pish of Schaumburg.
Paul was her perfect counterpoint, and together they built a beautiful life which included a
significant amount of adventure. In 1988, they spent three weeks traveling the country in Paul’s
1946 Globe Swift airplane, and in later years, they organized several memorable vacations with
their children and grandchildren. The couple made their home in Bartlett, and both ‘Nana’ and
‘Boompa’ were very involved in the lives of their four grandchildren, regularly attending school
programs, recitals, and sporting events. Nancy was a PRIDE volunteer in the Geneva School
District and attended the Fox Valley Presbyterian Church. Sadly, Paul passed away in September
2023.

Nancy was an inspiration and a regular presence in the lives of her two daughters, Kelly and
Jules. She loved laughing with her daughters, engaging with their friends, singing along with the
radio in the car, and was always up for an excursion to The Little Popcorn Store in Wheaton. She
dearly loved her sons-in-law, Alex and Elliot, even if their wardrobe choices and sense of humor
were sometimes lost on her.

She was a loving and beloved ‘Nana’ to her granddaughters, Caroline, Madeleine, and Claire.
They will miss her keen interest in their lives, her occasional silliness, her chocolate brownies,
snickerdoodle cookies, shrimp aglio e olio, and her Christmas Eve lasagna. They are grateful to
have made so many good memories together and will carry their shared love of Portillo’s
hotdogs and Wendy’s Frosties with them forever.

Nancy will also be missed by her loyal companion, Jackson, who has promised to be a good dog
until they can be together again.

We have been blessed with a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, and we
will miss her forever.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Eleanor, her husband, Paul, and the
grandparents, aunts, and uncles, whom she loved so dearly. She is survived by a sister, Jackie
(Dave) Hamilton of Elk Grove Village, her daughters, Kelly (Alex) Nowak of Geneva, Jules
(Elliot) Barlog of Westchester, and her three granddaughters, Caroline, Madeleine, and Claire
Nowak. She also leaves behind Paul’s children, Kim, James, and Jerry (Jennifer) Pish, and a
grandson, Evan Pish, as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at the Fox Valley
Presbyterian Church in Geneva, Illinois. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the
service. Donations in Nancy’s name may be made to Dementia Society of America
(dementiasociety.org).


Arrangements entrusted to Chicagoland Cremation Options of Schiller Park, IL