LaFox woman was proud, 'can-do' citizen

Nettie N. Fern-Buswell of LaFox was born in Latvia 100 years ago to a Lithuanian mother and a father who was a captain in the Russian army.

She came to the United States with her parents at age 4 and was fiercely proud to be an American.

"She wanted nothing to do with the Old Country," said her daughter Gloria Lindstrom of LaFox, with whom she had lived for the last 20 years. "She didn't like it when I told someone she was born in Latvia. She would say, 'Why did you tell them that?'"

Fern-Buswell died at Provena Pine View Care Center in St. Charles on Monday at age 100.

"She was a child during World War I and a young woman during the 1920s and 1930s," Lindstrom said. "Life was not easy, money was scarce. But she was a very positive, 'can-do' person. She was optimistic and never lost hope. She taught us that you had to do things for yourself."

"She could stretch a dollar further than anyone," said her daughter Charlotte Rynne of Carol Stream. "We lived through the Depression and we had hot water only one day a week. She only went through the eighth grade but she was very intelligent.

"She was feisty and very healthy," Rynne added. "She just got weak and she died peacefully in her sleep."

Fern-Buswell was born Oct. 19, 1907, in Latvia to Alexander and Genevieve Miszko. She was named Natasha but was known as Nettie or Nancy to close friends.

She was raised in Chicago where she attended public schools. Her father worked in the Chicago stockyards during the time made famous by Upton Sinclair in "The Jungle." He later worked for Western Electric.

Fern-Buswell married Francis Fern, became a mother at age 18 and raised two daughters and a son in Chicago, Cicero and Oak Park.

After the death of her first husband, she worked for many years as a file clerk at Joslyn Manufacturing in Chicago. While there, she met and married Robert Buswell. He died seven years ago.

Fern-Buswell was a longtime member of the DuPage County Homemakers Extension where she made crafts, including Christmas ornaments.

She was a longtime member of St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva.

In addition to her daughters, she is survived by her son, Francis Fern of Oak Brook, 11 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Visitation is from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Malone Funeral Home, 324 E. State St. in Geneva. The funeral service will begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, then proceed to St. Peter Catholic Church, 1891 Kaneville Road in Geneva for a funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m.