Obituary of John L. Nettekoven

Son of Mildred Lang and Joseph Peter Nettekoven.

Preceded in death by his older sister, Betty Sherer, and by his wife, Eleonore.

John Nettekoven was born in Lewistown, Montana on January 29, 1927.  His parents were Mildred Lang and Joseph Peter Nettekoven.  Jack had one sibling, an older sister, Betty.

Jack attended Lewiston High School and graduated in 1945.  Several years later he was drafted into the Army during the closing month of World War II.  He was sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana for training after which he worked in the Finance Department at Fort Lewis, Washington State where he processed discharge papers for soldiers returning home from the Pacific. After returning to Montana in 1946, he worked for the State Highway Department and the Milwaukee Railroad for several years. Later, Jack returned to Indiana for training in radio principals.  IBM then hired him where he was employed for 38 years.

Jack was married to Eleonore in 1957. Eleonore was born in Germany but was being sponsored as a visitor in the southern California area by a local family.  They first lived in Northridge and then bought their first home in Woodland Hills, finally moving to Westlake Village in 1969.

John was a ham-radio operator since 1946 and enjoyed this hobby for many years.  Both he and Eleonore took up square dancing and joined in with other square dancers located in the Conejo Valley.  They entertained many local friends as well as relatives at their home on East Great Smokey Court and also traveled together to Hawaii and to visit family in Germany.  Eleonore passed away in 2007.

In his later years, John drove a school bus for a short while and then drove a bus for a retirement home for 18 years.  Many of his bus riders got to know and love John during this period of his life.  John also served as a volunteer docent for special events and exhibitions at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.  He donated his time to the Library through 2017.

Close family members left behind by John’s passing include his three nephews (all sons of Gordon and Betty Sherer) David, Clarke & Dean.  Other close family members include grand nephews Evan Sherer and Cameron Sherer and grand nieces Stephanie Sherer and April Valdez. Also close to Jack is his niece Swantje, who resides in Bad Mergentheim, Germany along with her husband and two sons. Close friends and neighbors of Jack and Eleonore include Bruce Hamilton and his late wife Meryl and their family and Stephanie McDonough and her family.