Obituary of Nan Carlson Krafka

Nan Carlson Krafka, born September 19, 1937 in Lincoln, Nebraska to Dr. Norman Carlson and Helen Walt Carlson, passed away on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 in Houston, Texas.

Nan was preceded in death by her parents.  She is survived by her sister Jean Carlson of Houston; her  three children, all of whom live in Houston, Jim Krafka, Jeanie Van Norman (Kris), and Tommy Krafka; her grandchildren Brody and Shelby Krafka, Kristopher and Drew Van Norman, Isabella Krafka and Nik Deperna; and her great-grandson Oliver Krafka.

Nan grew up in Lincoln and has maintained close ties with family and friends still living there. She truly has two homes. She graduated from the University of Nebraska and moved to Houston shortly after that. She was a member of Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, Kappa Kappa Gamma, the Junior League, and  an Aksarben Countess in the late 1950’s.  She had been a Real Estate agent specializing in Apartment Locating since the mid 1970’s and a member of the Houston Board of Realtors. She was still working at Apartment Directions Inc. and Almost Home Properties. Her most cherished role was that of mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She attended all of their activities, and loved spending time with them doing whatever. She could find common ground with anyone. To her, all people were special. She greeted everyone with a smile and exemplified kindness and positivity. Her love of sports cannot be overstated. Whether youth, college or professional, she was always up on the latest and recently said “What would we do without sports?” Her job was a perfect fit, allowing her to get to know people from all different backgrounds and share what was current and newsworthy about Houston.  She had an unwavering faith in God. That we are sure of. It was central to everything she was and stood for.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1, at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, 12955 Memorial Drive, in Houston, Texas.

Donations may be made in Nan’s memory to Memorial Drive United Methodist Church.