Nancy Ungerer Duval, M.D. was born on October 9, 1948 to Glenn May Ungerer and Elizabeth Elsie Ungerer in Buffalo, New York.
She was raised in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst and graduated from Amherst Central High School at age 16, having been advised to skip a grade in elementary school. She attended Vassar College for two years before transferring to Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree.
While she may have preferred to attend veterinary school, she obtained her medical degree from the University of Illinois Medical School and completed a residency in Pediatrics at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. As she finished her residency, she decided to specialize in Emergency Medicine, becoming board certified in both specialties. She worked most of her career in Emergency Medicine at Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois and also was on the clinical teaching faculty at Northwestern were she taught doctors in training in the emergency room.
Nancy was a trailblazer for women in the medical field. After a lengthy screening process, she was chosen to winter over at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica in 1984-85, serving as the doctor, dentist, postmaster, and guardian of the liquor supply. In preparation, she received training in dentistry, as well as survival skills on the ice in New Zealand. While at the South Pole, she became a member of the elite 200 Degree Club, experiencing an immediate 200-degree drop running from an indoor sauna to the true geographic South Pole.
She and her late husband, Thomas Duval, lived actively in their Barrington Hills, Illinois, community for years, enjoying Cubs games, horses, and the local hunt club. They parented Newfoundland and Corgi dogs. Tom and Nancy relocated to Whitewater, Wisconsin to be close to Tom’s family and their grandchildren and were actively involved in their lives for many years. In Whitewater, Nancy worked at the U. of Wisconsin campus in the student health clinic. While living in Whitewater, they enjoyed boating, golfing, and bicycling. They had a great group of friends at the Whitewater Golf Course and enjoyed going out for fish fries at 5 pm. Nancy always thought of Whitewater as a hidden gem.
Nancy and Tom retired to Sebastian, Florida. Once again, they immersed themselves into the local community and became active participants in their home owners association and developed long-lasting friendships with their new tribe there.
She was predeceased by her husband, Thomas Duval, of 25 years, after a long and difficult struggle with his chronic illness. Nancy singlehandedly took care of him until he passed. She is survived by her brothers, Robert (Beverly) Ungerer, M.D. and Ronald (Stephanie) Ungerer, M.D. She was aunt to Natasha, Rachel, Olivia, Mary, Mark and Andrew Ungerer. She was a great-aunt to 10 nieces and 7 nephews. She was stepmother to Tom Jr. “Beau” (Julie) and Jerry Duval (Julie) and step-grandmother to Emma, Jimmy, Tommy, Clayton and Blaise.
Nancy passed away from cancer May 3, 2024, which she had dealt with for 3 years. A Celebration of Life was held August 18, 2024 in Sebastian, Florida. A sunrise gathering and memorial was held on the dock over the Indian River where Nancy and her close friends and their dogs had gathered at sunrise every morning for years. Breakfast refreshments and a sharing of memories followed the sunrise gathering, with a dedication of an ornamental tree and engraved bench in Nancy’s honor from her friends and the homeowner’s association. A later Celebration of Life was held in Whitewater, Wisconsin.