Clella Susan Carreiro

Clella Susan Carreiro (née Lunneborg), age 89, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2025, in Austin, Texas. She was born on September 17, 1935, in San Dimas, California.

Clella was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Thomas E. Carreiro (2022), her parents Nancy Marjorie Lunneborg (née Graham) (1985) and Ralph Eugene Lunneborg (1978), her siblings, Johnny Gannon (1927), Robert Eugene Lunneborg (1984), and Shirley Louise Andrade (née Lunneborg) (2022), and also her daughter Teresa Ann Glendenning (née Nelson) (2025).

She is survived by her loving children and their families: Johnnie Lee Nelson, Carol Lynn Petrini (née Nelson), Michael Eugene Carreiro, and Joseph Paul Carreiro; including her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who adored her deeply.

Clella embraced every season of life with grace, gratitude, and resilience. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, cousin, faithful friend, etc. she carried through many of life's ups and downs, always intent on making a meaningful impression with those she loved. She married young, becoming a bride at just 15 years old. With her first husband, she welcomed her first three children. Later, on October 6, 1967, she married Thomas Carreiro, and together they raised their two youngest sons.

Her faith was a very important part of her life, and she spent much of her life as an active parishioner of the Catholic church and she loved participating in choir. Throughout her youth, Clella was a social butterfly and an accomplished gymnast and acrobat. She carried that same enthusiasm into her later years, filling her days by serving on numerous committees and participating in activities such as TOPS, Red Hat Society, Bunco, Canasta, performing in community plays, even synchronized swimming shows, and many more.

Clella's passions were as vibrant as her personality. She loved to sing, had a playful love for the character Goofy, and cherished filling her home with family photos. Her life was a beautiful tapestry of relationships, memories, and traditions.

In her final days, heartfelt messages poured in from family and friends, each sharing closely held memories. From Grandma's Christmas grab bag to the handmade blankets she gifted with love, the adventurous trips she organized, and the special birthday cards that always included "a dollar for every year," Clella created traditions that will be remembered with great fondness.

She will be remembered for her warmth, her creativity, her unwavering faith, and the way she showed up for others. Clella believed life was a gift from God, and she embraced every day with gratitude and joy. Her legacy of love will remain in the hearts of all who knew her.

A service to honor Clella's life will be held on October 17, 2025, at Riverside National Cemetery with a private reception following.