Nina Bell Duerr (Van Dyke)

Nina Duerr passed away peacefully on the evening of September 24, 2024 at the age of 98. She was born on March 23, 1926 to Bailey Herring and Allie Herring (McConnell) in Poteau, Oklahoma. The youngest of four sisters, Nina and her family were greatly affected by the Great Depression and moved from Oklahoma when Nina was a young girl and were migrant farmers during her adolescence.

Her family eventually settled in Modesto, California.

Nina worked in the shipyard during WWII and attended many USO dances which she would reminisce of fondly. After the war, she worked as a secretary where she met her husband Andy (Elvin) Duerr who was 14 years her senior. After a brief courtship, they married on April 19, 1947 settling in Reno, Nevada where Andy was a controller for Isbell Construction until his retirement. Together they had two children. Nina was a devoted wife and mother and raising her family was her life's work. Before becoming a grandmother, she acted as a grandmother to her great nieces, Cathy and Berniece as a dying wish to her sister Forine.

After Andy's retirement, Nina and Andy traveled, took cruises, visited Israel and Europe and spent winters in Mexico in their fifth wheel trailer eventually becoming snowbirds in Phoenix, Arizona.

Family was everything to Nina and she found her true calling as a grandmother. When she wasn't playing cards with her friends, Nina was usually with her grandchildren. She was very involved in their lives and was like a second mother to them. The only thing more important to Nina than her family was her faith and her relationship with Jesus. Anyone who spoke with her for more than 5 minutes would hear about her faith and her convictions.

After Andy's death in 2005, Nina found herself alone for the first time in almost 60 years. And just a couple of years later, at church, she ran into an old friend Harold Van Dyke whom was recently widowed. Harold and his late wife were traveling companions with Andy and Nina many decades before. Harold and Nina started dating and were married on September 11, 2008. They were both so fortunate to have found one another and had a deep love together. Harold passed away December 24, 2015.

Nina lived a long, beautiful life. She was the life of the party and would go out of her way to befriend the quiet and lonely souls. She is preceded in death by her three sisters, Willamae, Florine, and Berniece.

She is survived by her two children, grandchildren Angela Teats (Matthew), Jamie Johnson (Todd), Joseph Paschall (Kally), Joshua Duerr (Edie) and Caleb Duerr (Kelci) along with great grandchildren Kyra Wilson (Wyatt), Kailin Haire, Koen Haire, Nolan McMahon, Emmett McMahon, Madilynn Johnson, Jacob Paschall, Elijah Paschall, Elizabeth Duerr, Leah Duerr and Addilynn Duerr.

There was a celebration of Nina's life on September 29, 2024 and she was buried in Vetran's Cemetery next to her husband on October 7, 2024. Her memory will live on as she is safe in the arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ.