Nancy Polivka Obituary

Nancy Bradford Moulton Polivka
Died: January 24, 2025
Nancy Bradford Moulton Polivka, 93, of Geneva Illinois, passed away peacefully on January 24, 2025. She was born in Silver Springs, Maryland, to parents Ralph Chandler Moulton and Beatrice Small Moulton. She was the youngest of three siblings. The family moved west to LaGrange, Illinois, where she graduated from Lyons Township High School and then attended Grinnell College. In 1952, she married her high school sweetheart and husband of 70 years, James Dwight Polivka. They raised four children-Brad, Bryan, Dwight, and Becky- in Naperville and LaFox, Illinois. Nancy was a charter member of the Naperville chapter of PEO. After moving to LaFox, she joined The Questers, an organization dedicated to researching and preserving artifacts and historic buildings for educational purposes. She became president of the local chapter and the state organization. Nancy was instrumental in the incorporation of a new non-profit, Restorations of Kane County (now Preservation Partners), which restored the Durant-Peterson house, an 1843 homestead. As president, she also led the efforts to save and restore the William Beith House, now a thriving museum on the Fox River in St. Charles and one of the few examples of unaltered river stone architecture. Nancy's heart was in the preservation of all things-her family, her faith, her country, and the earth. She reduced, reused, and recycled before any these efforts were mainstream. A child of the depression, she knew the value of fixing and mending and saving. She went out of her way to salvage and repair what others might discard. This was true of people, too. She had a natural ability to see the value and beauty in everyone she met. Nancy never gave up on a person she loved-always inquiring, always quick with a positive quip and offer of encouragement. Together, Nancy and husband Jim prayed daily and in earnest for each family member, dearest friends, and the country they loved so well. Nancy was dedicated to family and friends, invested in news from loved ones, and receiving many visits from children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. In 2022, she moved to an independent living facility, where she became a member of the chapel choir and of the "Angel Corps" program, in which she spent time with others in the facility who would not receive regular visits otherwise. At 93, she insisted on attending the wedding of her oldest grandchild, James (Jake) Polivka in Maryland, and with the help of family, she made the trip there and back with ease, even dancing with the groom at the wedding. She followed football and kept track of all the coaches, quarterbacks, and win/loss records of all 32 teams in the NFL on her clipboard chart, even up to the end of this season. She was an ace Wordler, and always happy for a hand of cards. Nancy's joy and ease with people was reflected through her sparkling eyes, and those in her presence could not escape feeling her special brand of acceptance and love. She is adored, and will be deeply missed. Her sparkle lives on in our hearts. Nancy is survived by her sister Virginia "Ginger" Gertrude Haack; her children: James Bradford (Debbi) Polivka, George Bryan (Jeri) Polivka, Dwight (Jana) Chandler Polivka and Rebekka (Duane) Polivka James; her grandchildren: Robert Tucker (Marisa) DeBolt, James (Maggie) Harrison Polivka, Aime Madelyn Polivka, Caleb (Rae) Preston Polivka, Jonathan Chandler Polivka, Joseph Bradford Polivka, Terry Anthony James Polivka, Rebekah (Joshua) Jeanne Schneider and Anna (Victor) Ruth Hess; her great grandchildren: Preston James Nathanael Polivka, Phinehas David Schneider, Boaz Dwight Schneider, Hadassah Dian Schneider, and Brynn Harper Hess. Nancy was preceded in death by her husband James Dwight Polivka, her parents Ralph and Beatrice Moulton, her brother Chandler "Chan" Clifford Moulton, and her grandson James Nathanael Polivka. Private burial services were held.