Class of 1970’s ‘Nancy Lambeau,’ later Makuen, passes away


A familiar name from the early history of UW-Green Bay — and the community — died last weekend. Nancy J. Makuen, 89, of Ellison Bay, passed away peacefully Nov. 30. Makuen was a returning adult student by the name of Nancy Leicht Lambeau when she received her UW-Green Bay degree on June 1, 1970, joining 77 classmates in receiving the first diplomas ever granted by the new university. She was related through marriage to Green Bay’s most famous Lambeau — she had been married to Curly’s son and was the mother of the coach’s grandchildren. She later married Don Makuen, who some will remember as a top administrative assistant to Chancellor Edward Weidner at the University’s founding. Don Makuen, who survives his wife, was UWGB’s first dean of students and also supervised intercollegiate athletics during the program’s first and only year as the Bay Badgers, 1969-70. The Makuens have been occasional visitors to campus over the years, including the formal dedication of Lambeau Cottage and related events. The David Zimmerman book, Curly Lambeau: The Man Behind the Mystique, shared a story that illustrates at least one reason for Nancy’s affinity for Lambeau Cottage. It tells the story of how, in early spring of 1943, Lambeau’s son, Don, 23, married his high school sweetheart, Nancy, and an ice storm kept the couple from leaving Green Bay so they spent their honeymoon at the cottage. For Nancy Makuen’s obituary.