Nadine (Little) Popp, 86, of St. Joseph, passed away on May 6th, 2023, after a lengthy illness.
Nadine was born near Walnut in Crawford County, Kansas, to Raymond and Elsie (Beech) Little. She was the fourth of six children. Nadine attended St. Francis Catholic School in Walnut and graduated as president and Valedictorian of her class in 1954.
She attended Mercy School of Nursing in Fort Scott, Kansas, and became an RN. From there, she worked at the Veteran’s Hospital in Wichita and hospitals in McPherson, Garden City, and Great Bend, Kansas, before settling in St. Joseph in 1968. She continued her career at Sister’s Hospital in orthopedics until it closed, and then at Methodist Hospital which became Heartland Hospital. She retired from nursing in 1999.
Nadine grew up on a farm in southeastern Kansas and began sewing at a young age. She was an expert seamstress and sewed clothing for herself and her children, made costumes for school programs, curtains, and even upholstered a few pieces of furniture. Her specialty was quilts, which she made for each child and grandchild. She was a member of a local quilters club and spent most of her retirement sewing and quilting for craft shows.
Nadine was preceded in death by her parents and all her siblings - brothers Edwin and Joseph, sisters Alice (Standfast), Mary (Hand), and Marge Little, and is survived by her children Dan (Vicky) Popp of Akron, Ohio, Cherie (Jim) Hill of St. Joseph, and Jean (Rick) Auxier of Kansas City, Missouri, six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Friday, May 12, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Services will be on Saturday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m. Both visitation and services will be held at Meierhoffer Funeral Home in St. Joseph. The service will be livestreamed for those unable to attend.
