Nancy Jean (Cerne) Yovanovich of Brownsburg, Indiana passed away peacefully on the afternoon of June 12, 2026. She was an admired mother, grandmother and sibling, Nancy’s husband, Alex Yovanovich, preceded her in death in April of this year. Nancy is survived by her children Alex Yovanovich (Andrea), Annette Yovanovich (Steve Mayberry) and Timmy Yovanovich (Christine), as well as her grandchildren Alexander Yovanovich and Sophie Yovanovich. Her passing was preceded by her father Frank Cerne, mother Stephana (Turk) Cerne and sister Frances (Cerne) Leone.

Nancy was very much in love with her husband Alex. Though they had lived across the street from each other in Haughville as toddlers, their love was kindled at a KSKJ picnic outside of Brownsburg. A must on the yearly calendar for most Slovenians in the area, the picnic represented an important part of their heritage. Nancy and Alex loved to dance at the Slovenian National Home, which was nearby Holy Trinity Slovenian Roman Catholic Church and School in Haughville, where both attended church and grade school.

Nancy and Alex married in 1965, had three children by 1969, moved to Brownsburg in 1972, where the two of them would live out their lives as active parishioners of St. Malachy Catholic Church, with all three of their children attending St. Malachy school.

Love and loyalty to her family, the Catholic Church and her friends were all-important to Nancy. She was governed by a strong sense of ethics and passed along how to discern right from wrong and act accordingly to her children. In spite of working full-time, Nancy always made sure that she cooked a good dinner for the family and helped her kids with their homework. Always well-read, she had a great sense of what was happening in the news from around the world. These qualities probably helped her to not suffer fools. Nancy could spot charlatans and scam artists quickly and would politely tell them she was not interested. Despite these righteous traits, she was a light-hearted person who could laugh easily. Even at the end of her days, it was easy to get Nancy to smile and laugh.

Holidays spent with family were everything to Nancy and Alex. These occasions brought them so much joy. Nancy and Alex always hosted both Christmas Eve for the Cerne side of the family and Christmas Day for the Yovanovich side of the family at their house. Nancy always helped Alex make their traditional homemade smoked sausage for the Christmas celebrations, while she also made a delicious ham and mouthwatering Slovenian dishes such as potica, various styles of pita that were always big hits and lots of tasty desserts.

Thanksgiving and Easter were also big holidays for the family to gather. The traditional foods were also present there, but there was another tradition. Laughter. Sometimes it was Nancy’s dad Frank making a wisecrack or her mom Steffi coming up with a funny quip, but once Nancy got to laughing with her sister Frances, everyone joined in. It earned Nancy and Frances the nickname “The Cackle Sisters.” They were truly the life of the party.

While her children attended St. Malachy Nancy served as the Reading class teacher at the school. She made sure her students were challenged, as one assignment was reading the James Michener epic novel “Centennial” cover-to-cover. People unfamiliar with Mrs. Yovanovich’s class often didn’t believe that grade schoolers could read such a challenging book, but her students knew the truth … they actually read the book and enjoyed it.

After moving on from teaching, Nancy worked as a Court Reporter for Judge Robert Bayt in the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis. This was a 20-year assignment and she loved telling stories about her interactions with judges and attorneys in and out of court.

Nancy’s success as a professional was a direct result of her Catholic education. She attended Holy Trinity Catholic School until the 7th grade, when her family moved to Speedway. After two years at St. Christopher Catholic school, Nancy attended the all-girls St. Mary’s Academy for high school and then moved on to Marian College. Until the very end she loved organizing reunions for her fellow classmates, especially taking a lead role in grade school and high school reunions.

While her future husband Alex was a star football player at Cathedral High School, Nancy was cheerleader for the Irish. Her father Frank loved football, so she loved football, making her a great match for her future husband, who also loved football. When Alex coached St. Malachy to a CYO Cadet Football City Championship in 1984, Nancy was right there helping to organize the cheerleaders and making snacks for the team. She never quite got cheerleading out of her system, as her children can attest. She would sing college fight songs for many schools on a regular basis to them. It was not unusual for her to ask her children, “Do you want to watch me do a cartwheel?” Sometimes it was in the yard and sometimes it was in the living room, but she would do a cartwheel.

Nancy’s love for football never waned. She always prepared impressive tailgates for IU football games, where Alex had played in the 1960s for coach Phil Dickens. In the early years the family would go to a game or two a year, but by 1982 Nancy and Alex became season ticket holders. She was diligent every game about playing the “Scoreboard Stumper” trivia and often won. No one was more excited to win those contests of memory than Nancy. In recent years health challenges prevented their attendance at IU home games, but there was a happy swan song. Nancy and Alex were able to attend four IU home games with their sons during the undefeated 16-0 National Championship season for the Curt Cignetti-led Hoosiers. Their return to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington felt like a joyful closure to their IU football days.

There was one event that Nancy never wanted to miss. That was the Indianapolis 500. She first attended the race in 1951, where she watched Lee Wallard capture the victory. By the 1970s the rest of the family had joined her and it became an annual family reunion of sorts. When the family would arrive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Nancy would point out all of the Cerne and Yovanovich relatives, plus a lot of friends and Slovenians in the stands. She attended her final Indianapolis 500 in 2025 and was thrilled to be there to watch Alex Palou take the win 74 years after her first visit. Over the years Nancy also attended other IndyCar races, including countless times at the Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin, where as many as 35 family and friends sat together to watch the annual race, with many in the group enjoying her signature homemade drink, a Bourbon Slush.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway brought about one of Nancy’s funniest stories. She had walked to the track with her sister Frances to watch practice for the Indianapolis 500. There was only one problem. They forgot their money and admission was $1 for the two of them. Not knowing what to do, Nancy and Frances found a place near the gate to sneak into the facility. That’s when their next problem appeared. A rather out-of-shape track worker chased the two girls, but they outran him and hid under an unopened grandstand. When the coast was clear, they started walking and a big convertible car pulled up out of nowhere. The kindly gentleman driving the car asked Nancy and Frances where they were headed and both said “The pits.” He said, “So am I. Hop in.” That man was Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman. Nancy loved telling the story of the only time she ever snuck into the track and got a ride from the owner of the track.

As a kid Nancy did quite a bit of traveling throughout America with her parents and sister. She spurred on her own family to travel. In the early years, Nancy and Alex took their kids to Little Spider Lake in Northern Wisconsin, a trip that was always made together with her parents. After that the family started traveling by themselves to Mackinac Island in Michigan, Daytona Beach in Florida and an epic trip out west that included Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, Yellowstone National Park, The Great Salt Lake, San Francisco, Fresno, Yosemite National Park, Los Angeles, Disneyland, Escondido, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon and even Tijuana, Mexico. Years later Nancy and Alex traveled the world to places like Slovenia, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, England, France, Greece, Costa Rica, Alaska, Hawaii and Australia.

Nancy and Alex truly loved their grandchildren Alexander and Sophie. Anytime the grandkids could visit was a special occasion and they made sure that the family traditions such as the making and smoking of homemade sausage and the making of the Slovenian dessert potica were passed down properly.

Nancy and Alex were always devout Catholics, attending Mass and generously giving to Catholic Charities. They even sponsored children in both Haiti and Bolivia. As their health challenges mounted in recent years, Nancy and Alex prayed The Rosary together daily. That faith was always the bedrock that family life was built on. She always asked her family to “be grateful!”

Nancy was grateful that she had lots of family and friends and they were there for her until the end. These were truly special people in her life and they demonstrated their love for her simply by being there in the rough times. Nancy can now rest in peace, knowing that she joins her beloved husband Alex, and that she was adored by so many more.

Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24 from 4-7 p.m. at Matthews Mortuary at 690 East 56th Street in Brownsburg, Indiana. Nancy’s funeral will take place on Thursday, June 25 at 11 a.m. at St. Malachy Catholic Church at 9833 East County Road 750 North in Brownsburg, Indiana. The graveside service will follow the funeral at Calvary Cemetery at 435 West Troy Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana.