Nancy Kaderavek

Nancy Kaderavek, 73, passed away November 7, 2019 in Billings, Montana. She was born Nancy Elaine Plegge on October 24, 1946 in Marysville, Kansas to Harold and Velma Plegge. She was the oldest of five children; her brothers and sisters were born within six years of her. Her family lived on Jenkins Street in Marysville before moving to a farm outside of town when she was 17. She loved playing outdoors with her siblings. They played pretend school and church, swung on the swing set, and rode bikes around town. Nancy attended church every Sunday at Marysville Evangelical United Church of Christ. She was part of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a Masonic youth organization. She was also a Brownie and Girl Scout. In addition, she participated in track and field and played the clarinet and alto saxophone for her high school band. She graduated from Marysville High in 1964. She went on to attend Kansas State Teachers College where she earned her degree in elementary education in 1968. She taught at Kansas City, Kansas for 2 years before meeting her husband, John Kaderavek, in Texas in 1969 while visiting her brother Larry. John was a friend of Larry's. They married in 1970 in Marysville and moved to Billings where they raised three children: Alaric, Nathan and Sasha. Nancy joined Beta Sigma Phi sorority in 1980, where she held every office and was an active member for 37 years. During that time she volunteered and raised money for Intermountain Children's Home in Helena. She continued teaching in School District Two before moving to Lockwood Schools in 1988. She taught first and second grade for thirty-four years. This was her passion and brought her much joy. She then retired in 2011. Nancy and John started traveling the world right before she retired. They started with an Alaskan Cruise in 2009. That was followed by a trip through New England on a fall leaf tour. Shortly afterward, they cruised off the coast of Central America through the Panama Canal both ways before going to Hawaii. In Guatemala, they visited a school where Nancy was saddened by the extreme poverty she saw. More recently, they took a 59-day cruise through the South Pacific before circumnavigating Australia and Tasmania and stopping in Indonesia. She fondly remembered seeing kangaroos, koalas, emus and wombats. Nancy is survived by husband John Kaderavek; siblings Larry (Maxine) Plegge, Delores Benkendorf, Mary Plegge and Arlyn Plegge; children Alaric (Tamara) Kaderavek, Nathan Kaderavek, and Sasha (Kyle) Greenough; four grandchildren, Conner, Ayden, Malia and Logan. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Allen Dean Plegge. Nancy was grateful to have the help of people in hospice. In Loving memory of our wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, Nancy was a caring soul who spent her life volunteering and helping others.