Nancy McMonagle

Nancy Wendel McMonagle was born Aug. 22, 1952 to Allen Martin Wendel and Rose Eileen Chabot Schuenman Wendel, the third of five children born to Allen and Eileen. She was later joined by a foster brother.
Born into a household of boys she learned to hold her own at an early age and to work hard on the large family plot in downtown Bountiful, Utah. Summers were spent picking weeds, helping mother pick and preserve fruits and vegetables and enjoying pick-up games of basketball with her brothers and cousins. It was a happy time in her life.
She often went camping in the desert for family vacations on odd years and visited her Grandfather Chabot in Seattle, Wash., on even years during the ‘60s and ‘70s. She hiked deserts, mountains, and beaches and enjoyed spending time outdoors and exploring the great and wonderful world.
Nancy attended Bountiful High School, from where she graduated in 1970.
Following her graduation she was called to serve a full-time LDS mission in Belgium and the Netherlands. After completing her LDS mission, she graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in nursing. She then worked for Davis County as a School Nurse and Public Health Nurse in the school district.
In 1986 she took a leap of faith and applied to be a public health nurse in Bethel, Alaska, to provide services for the Native peoples of Alaska. She traveled by bush plane to small villages, providing badly needed vaccinations, medical care and education to native peoples and logging-camps. She often slept in a sleeping bag on the floor of the clinics and during this time she hiked, walked and flew over some of the most rugged terrain in the country.
In Bethel, she met a teacher Bruce McMonagle, who she married in 1986. This allowed her to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a wife and mother.
They relocated to Sitka, Alaska, and had two children together, Michelle, born in 1987, and John, born in 1990.
In 1996, Bruce and Nancy bought the Chief Motel in Custer, S.D. They have operated the Chief Motel for 27 seasons, but have also lived in Davis, Calif., from 1999-2000 and Provo, Utah, from 2006-12 during the off-season.
While in Davis, Nancy taught ESL to international students in the Willet Elementary School District, where she was greatly loved by her students. Nancy provided caring and helpful service to many people in need. She spoke often of her church in the area and the needs of the members. She worked hard to provide for her family and others.
In her spare time, she enjoyed researching family history, a task at which she was highly proficient.
Nancy died Nov. 4, 2022. She was 70.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Allen and Rose Eileen Wendel; and her brothers, Jim and Richard.
Nancy is survived by her husband Bruce; her children, John and Michelle; three brothers, Douglas Wendel, Gary Wendel and Joel Wendel; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Dr. Saini and Custer Monument Health staff for their compassionate care during Nancy’s stay. She was treated with care and kindness, which offered a deep sense of comfort and relief to both Nancy and her family during an otherwise trying and difficult time.
A viewing will be held in the Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Custer from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10. Funeral services will be conducted at the LDS Chapel in Hot Springs, S.D., Friday Nov. 11 from 10-11 a.m. A viewing will be held that morning from 9-10 a.m. at the chapel.
Interment will be at the Custer City Cemetery at 1 p.m., where she will be laid to rest beneath her beloved pines in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Arrangements have been placed under the local care of Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Custer.