Ave Claire Nettleton

Ave Claire Nettleton (née Burg) left this earth on November 23, 2023, to meet her Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, and to join all her beloved family and friends who went before her. After nearly 98 years, God was satisfied with her life in this world and brought her home. She died peacefully in her sleep at Bickford Senior Living, where she was surrounded by her amazing caregivers and her loving family during her final days and weeks. On Monday November 27, 2023 at Richardson Funeral Home in Cedar Falls, a Rosary will be said at 3:30 PM. Visitation will be from 4-7 PM and a vigil service will follow for all who wish to attend. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Patrick Catholic Church at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, November 28. Interment will follow in Greenwood Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the family, to St. Patrick Catholic Church, or to Cedar Valley Hospice in her name. Ave Claire was born on January 12, 1926 to Frank and Helen Burg (née Maurice), on a farm near Lane, South Dakota where she was raised and graduated from high school. She loved sharing memories about her time growing up and was surrounded by many relatives from both her mother’s and her father’s families, many of whom also lived nearby in South Dakota and Nebraska. Her foundational values were formed growing up in the Great Depression. Faith and family were always of the utmost importance to her. Sometime after high school the family moved to Sioux Falls, SD where eventually she would meet and marry her husband, William (Bill) Nettleton of Greene, IA. Some of the other great interests in her life were music, flowers and gardening, and antiques. During the years when she was raising her family, many a Saturday afternoon was spent cleaning house and listening to the Metropolitan Opera on the radio. She also had a large yard and spent many hours planting and weeding her beds of flowers and vegetables. She often would find old pieces of furniture and bring them back to life with hours of stripping, sanding, staining, and refinishing. Later in life she greatly enjoyed her time with the local Questers chapter, a group of history buffs and antique collectors in Cedar Falls. In addition to furniture, she also amassed a large collection of beautiful china and glass dishware. She also helped as she could with events at St Patrick Church, and for several years she volunteered her time at World’s Window on the Cedar Falls Parkade. Right up to the very end, she had an amazing memory, and her family loved to hear her tell stories from her childhood. It’s hard for many of us to understand what that time period was like. To quote from Ave Claire’s journal “I know young people (today) can’t imagine a house without electricity, indoor plumbing, and all the modern conveniences. Life is easy nowadays!” Her stories of life on the plains in the early 20th century, of hardship and the depression, and of children who had enormous responsibilities from a very early age are both heartbreaking and inspiring. Ave Claire is survived by two daughters and a son, Cheryl (Cherie) and husband Cliff Hinde of Sikeston, MO, David William and wife Kelly Nettleton of Kingwood, TX and Sheila and husband Tim Combs of Cedar Falls, IA; 10 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; 28 great-great grandchildren; and one sister, Ursula Mahoney of New York. She was preceded in death by her husband William; her parents; two brothers, Edmund Burg and Reg Burg; a sister Maureen O’Connor, and a sister Charlotte Ann in infancy; and one beloved grandson, William Hinde.

Ave Claire Nettleton

January 12, 1926 - November 23, 2023