Nettie DuSold

Nettie S. DuSold (née Wharton), 102, passed away at home on February 16, 2025 after a brief illness. Nettie was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Donald D. DuSold, and two sons, David and Daniel. Nettie was a devoted mother and grandmother. She is survived by her children Deborah, Douglas, Darrell and Deidre and by her nine grandchildren: Joseph Roswarski (Michelle Stephenson), Bree Chinn (Derek), Bryce Roswarski (Heather), Derek DuSold (Shawna Jensen), Cassandra DuSold; Adelle DuSold, David DuSold, (Holly Kingery) Anjanette DuSold and George DuSold (Amber), and ten great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Aileen Wharton Price, and half-siblings Roberta Burton Sticht and Robert Burton, Jr. She was preceded in death by her sisters Virginia Wharton Mullaney and Grace Wharton Dix, and her brother Irvin Wharton.

Nettie was born on December 14, 1922 to Irvin and Madalyn Wharton in Galt, Maryland. Nettie and her sister Aileen were the tap dancing duo of “Aileen and Jean,” traveling around the country to perform and appearing on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour radio show in 1938. After meeting her husband, Don, they settled in Crown Point, Indiana where he practiced medicine and they raised their family of six children. Nettie and Don started a nursing home in Crown Point, and another in Valparaiso; Don oversaw the medical care and Nettie was the administrator. They enjoyed their joint hobby of gemstone collecting and jewelry making. Nettie became a Master Gardener and delighted in sharing her gardens with others. 

After Don’s passing, Nettie moved to Tucson, Arizona to be near her mother, sisters and extended family. She enjoyed a lively retirement. She returned to tap dancing with a senior women’s company, the Hot Flashes, and was tickled to be introduced as the oldest member of the troupe well into her 80s. Nettie was a skilled painter, creating hundreds of canvases that she shared with family and friends.

Internment will be at Maplewood & Lowell Memorial Cemetery in Crown Point, Indiana at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.