Lesa Nuzback, 65, went to live with the Lord on March 18, 2021, at her residence in Ankeny, IA. A visitation will be held at Ankeny Funeral Home on Friday, March 26 from 5 to 8 P.M. The funeral service will be held at First Church of Christ on Saturday, March 27 at 10:00 A.M. The burial will be held at Berwick Cemetery after the service. A luncheon will be held at First Church of Christ after the burial.
Lesa was born to H.J. and Lois “Lou” Schwanke in Loma Linda, California on February 15, 1956. Lesa was active in the church all her life, and baptized in Scott City, Kansas in 1964. Growing up, Lesa enjoyed showing horses, and helped out with the family business, Schwanke Harvesting, in Scott City, Kansas. Her moniker while on harvest was “Handy Hank.”
Lesa attended Kansas State University, and earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Animal Sciences and a minor in Analytical Chemistry. While attending, she participated in the Kansas State Rodeo Club and met her husband, Dennis Nuzback. They were married in Manhattan, Kansas, on September 19, 1981 at University Christian Church.
While living in Manhattan, Kansas, their first child, Lauren Rae, was born March 3, 1986, in Wamego, Kansas. The family moved to Atlantic, Iowa, in March 1988, and their second child, Curtis Michael, was born in Atlantic on April 24, 1989. While living in Atlantic, Lesa worked at A & L Laboratories, the Wallace Foundation and sold Mary Kay as an Independent Beauty Consultant. She was active in First Church of Christ teaching youth Sunday School classes, and rode the 90-mile Iowa portion of the River City Round Up by horse several times over the years.
In the Summer of 2004, Lesa and Denny moved to Ankeny, Iowa, and Lesa managed the DuPont Pioneer Livestock and Nutrition Center located in Slater, Iowa, until January 2017; she retired later that year. While living in Ankeny, Lesa attended First Church of Christ, where she continued teaching Sunday School classes and led Women’s Bible Studies.
Lesa is preceded in death by her parents, H.J. and Lou Schwanke, and her sister, Connie Rusbarsky.
Lesa is survived by her husband of nearly 40 years, Dr. Dennis Nuzback; two children, Lauren and Curtis, both of Ankeny; two brothers, Randall and his wife Nancy Schwanke of Scott City, Kansas, and Mo and his wife Julie Schwanke of Anna, Texas; and her late sister’s husband, Bob Rusbarsky of Kansas City, Missouri. She had the love and support of Denny’s family, Jerry and Grace Nuzback, Hopewell Junction, NY and Lynne and Mike Doherty, Goshen, NY. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Memorial gifts on behalf of Lesa may be made to First Church of Christ in Ankeny for support of youth events and education, one of Lesa’s greatest passions.
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