Nancy Lou Lutjen

Nancy was born the eighth of nine children on November 20, 1953, in Milan, Missouri, to Carroll E. Smith and Dorothy Page Davis Smith. She graduated from Milan High School in 1971 and went on to attend Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. This is where she met and married Michael Medaris, settling in Nebraska City, Nebraska, where she welcomed her two daughters, Margaret and Michelle.

In 1987, Nancy married John F. Lutjen in Kansas City, Missouri, beginning a partnership that shaped the rest of her life. She brought energy and dedication to John’s civil engineering firm, Lutjen & Associates.

Those who knew Nancy knew her free and generous heart. She delighted in giving thoughtful gifts, always seeming to know exactly what would make someone smile. Her sharp wit and memory paired with her attention to detail made her a gifted storyteller.

Above all, Nancy was devoted to her family, especially her three granddaughters. Travel was among her great joys, including ocean cruises and road trips shared with family and friends. A loyal fan to the end, she never missed a chance to cheer on her beloved Kansas City Chiefs.

Nancy is survived by her daughters, Margaret Tyler and Michelle Medaris; her brothers, Carroll D. Smith, Daniel Smith and Joseph Smith; her sisters, Mary Beth Smith Eastes and Debbie Smith Wassenmiller; and her granddaughters, Darby, Molly and Sophia Tyler. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband John Lutjen; her brothers Thomas Smith and James Smith; and her sister Bonnie Smith Casto.

We take comfort in trusting that she has been welcomed home and reunited with those who went before her.

An inurnment will be held at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, 701 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kansas, on November 20, 2026, at 2:00 PM. A celebration of life will follow at Cascone's, 3737 N. Oak Trafficway, Kansas City, Missouri from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Family and friends are warmly welcomed and appreciated.