Nancy K. Johansen

Mentor, loyal friend, gracious hostess & loving mother

Dr. Nancy Johansen died early Thanksgiving morning, November 28, 2024.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 25, 1928, to Thomas Albert Keller II and Nan Orlady Keller, Nancy attended the first few grades of elementary school in St. Paul and then was sent to ride out the depression at the home of her grandparents, Harry and Annabel Orlady of Durand, Wisconsin, a place she held dear for the rest of her life. Returning to St. Paul, she attended Central High School and, when her family moved to Lake Elmo, Minnesota, she finished high school in Stillwater. 

After attending Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, she came back to Minnesota, married and became the mother of twin daughters. Later, as a divorced single mother, Nancy continued her schooling, ultimately obtaining a PhD in education from the University of Missouri.

In 1961, Nancy became a professor in the Education Department at Macalester College in St. Paul, this at a time when there were very few women in higher education, much less single women with children and/or aging parents. In spite of such barriers, Nancy navigated academia with grace and determination, becoming a fierce advocate for gender pay equity. She later spent many years as chair of the education department, retiring in 2003.

As an ardent champion of quality children’s books, Nancy befriended many talented children’s book authors during the golden age of children’s literature of the 1960s and 70s. She was mentor and supervisor to countless teachers across the Twin Cities and the State of Minnesota. Her determination, intelligence, sense of humor and grit were an inspiration to everyone who knew her. 

Nancy was also known for her love of holidays of all kinds, making her death on Thanksgiving particularly poignant. Only the best would do for her holiday dinners with family and friends; at Christmas her Lake Elmo home was aglow with strings of lights and holiday decorations collected over generations. She will be remembered as a gracious hostess as well as a loyal, fun-loving friend and neighbor, and a deeply committed mother.

Nancy was preceded in death by her mother, Nan Orlady Keller; her father, Thomas Albert Keller II, and her brother, Thomas Albert Keller III. She is survived by her daughters, Dorothea Johansen (Pop Wagner) of St. Paul, and Nelle Johansen of Woodstock, Vermont; granddaughter, Thea Fraser Talento of Norwich, Vermont; niece, Jasmine Keller (Nils Gokemeijer) and nephew, Thomas Keller IV, both of Minneapolis; and Victoria Keller, widow of her brother Thomas Keller III. 

The family is grateful for the loving support of the friends and neighbors who buoyed our spirits in the difficult final weeks of Nancy’s life. We will be raising a glass to her memory as we celebrate the coming holiday season without her.

memorial service

A gathering to honor and celebrate her life will be announced at a later date.