Nancy S Welch

Nancy Ann Simmen Welch, 77, of Des Moines, Iowa, died peacefully while surrounded by close family on January 25, 2024, breaking free of the tightening grip of Alzheimer's disease at the end of a beautiful and loving life she generously shared with so many.
Born in York, Nebraska, on February 17, 1946, to J. Harold and Irene Simmen, Nancy moved about the Midwest with her parents before landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, near Bever Park. As an only child, Nancy was truly adored by her parents, though it has been said that they may not have always known just what to do with the fiercely creative, spontaneous, and strong-minded young lady they were raising. These characteristics suited her well and would help make Nancy a force to reckon with throughout her life, while also ensuring that she could capably navigate herself - and all those drawn into her orbit - through countless new adventures and all that life brought her way.
Following her graduation from Cedar Rapids' Washington High School in 1964, Nancy went on to earn her bachelor's degree in speech pathology, with a minor in education, from the University of Iowa, where she would meet and then marry her first husband, John R. Welch, in 1967. Nancy and John settled in Des Moines, the city she would call homebase for the remainder of her life. They had two children together, Heather and John Todd, who became the lights of Nancy's life. She never stopped mothering, never stopped giving, and never left them wondering how much she cared for them. She gave them sunsets and sandy beaches, campfires and cooking, train rides and car rides, pictures and pages, mountain views and the grand trees of the north woods and always ensured home was a place to gather with friends. She also had no boundaries or limitations on her willingness to mother other peoples' children.
After meeting in a photography class at Iowa State University, Nancy married Gary Schnieder in 1988, and Gary and his two daughters, Shawn and Nikol, were lovingly folded into the family. Gary became Nancy's adventure partner for the rest of her life, with the two of them traveling together throughout the United States and to Mexico and Europe. They loved to sit in their parlor in front of the fireplace, gaze at sunsets over Portage Lake in northern Minnesota, and watch for sea turtles to pop their heads above the turquoise waters as they walked along the white sand beaches in Mexico.
Nancy was both a lifelong student, continuously consuming anything she could find to read, and a patient teacher, always finding new ways to educate others inside the classroom and beyond those walls, including teaching neighborhood art classes in her backyard on Lincoln Avenue. Nancy received her master's degree in education from Drake University and served as a beloved art teacher for Des Moines Public Schools for over thirty years. After her retirement, Nancy continued to be a devoted educator. She brought Visual Thinking Strategies to elementary classrooms, facilitating thoughtful and inclusive student-centered discussions of artwork, and she became a recurring local artist leading workshops at Hanawalt Elementary's A Day in the Arts. For over twenty years, Nancy also brought suitcases full of art supplies to Mexico each March to teach art classes to Mayan children in a pueblo along the Yucatán peninsula.
Nancy held an abundance of love for her family and deeply valued her wide circle of friends. She never stopped working to develop new connections while somehow still tending to her cherished oldest bonds. She loved her weekly coffee dates with close neighbors and with her Running
Group, and she loved sharing a glass of wine with friends from her Junior League days and with the Ladies of the Table. As a good friend shared, Nancy "brought countless amounts of laughter and joy" to so many lives.
Nancy was an eternal dog lover, a proud mother and Mimi to her grandchildren, and a fierce protector of those she loved. She was an adventure seeker, charting new travel plans religiously and filling up countless journals with notes from her many trips. She was always on the lookout for heart-shaped stones and sea glass, leaving behind enormous collections. She was an avid communicator who wrote endless cards and notes and called close family members and friends numerous times a day. She had a fervor for life, which she engaged in fully, and a magnetic personality. She lived life on her own terms until the very end.
Nancy is survived by her daughter Heather Welch Puri of Des Moines, IA, son John Todd Simmen Welch (wife Danielle) of Denver, CO, husband Gary Schnieder of Des Moines, IA, and her five beloved grandsons: John, Will, Sam, Ben and Luke.
A celebration of Nancy's life will be held later this spring or early summer when the Downtown Farmers' Market has fresh cut flowers available. Donations in Nancy's honor will be gratefully received at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa or the Des Moines Art Center.
Arrangements by Iles Dunn's Chapel
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