From These Roots

The following biography of Nettie Onell Burnette was written for the NGU Archives by her great-niece, Dr. Jenny Hunter. The pictures included in this post are also courtesy of Dr. Hunter.

Through a life rooted in faith and service, Nettie Onell Burnette showed that one person’s quiet dedication can leave a lasting impact for generations.

Nettie was born on November 7, 1915, in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, more specifically the rural community of Campobello, whose name fittingly means “beautiful field.” The land around her was rich and rolling, perfectly suited for peach orchards, where cool air settled into the valleys and protected the fruit. Yet, behind that beauty, the farming life she was a part of demanded resilience.

One of twelve children, Nettie grew up in days when days were long, and work was hard. Farm life shaped her childhood: the heat of the South Carolina sun, the rhythm of the land, and a way of living powered by hands and animals, not machines, would be her foundation. Her community endured drought and hardship even before the Great Depression.

From those early years, Nettie carried perseverance, hard work, and faith. Named for her grandmother, Nettie Ballenger Burnette, and influenced by her grandfather, Reverend Benjamin Andrew Strange, she was grounded in a legacy of faith that would guide her. Amid beauty and struggle, her strength formed. She learned to endure, work, serve, and persist in faith, even when life was uncertain. Those lessons shaped the woman she became.

In 1936, she became the first student at North Greenville Junior College to receive an Associate’s Degree, setting a standard of determination and purpose, marking the beginning of a life devoted to serving others.

She began her nursing training in Marion, North Carolina, and in 1941, she passed the South Carolina State Board of Nursing exam. In August of that same year, just months before the United States entered World War II, she enlisted in the United States Army. As a nurse in the Army Nurse Corps stationed overseas, she cared for wounded soldiers during one of the most uncertain and fragile times in our nation’s history. While overseas, she visited many places and collected teacups and saucers. Her dainty collection was impressive.

When she shared stories from that time with me, she often spoke of a fighter pilot she loved named Hap. I remember her expression, how she would smile when she said his name, then grow quiet when she spoke of losing him in battle. She once told me she would never love another man. Her ability to carry both love and loss with such strength left a lasting impression on me.

After the war, Nettie continued her commitment to caring for others through her nursing and anesthesia work. In 1948, she served as a nurse at Patton Memorial Hospital in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The following year, she expanded her expertise as an anesthetist at Halifax District Hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, and by 1952, she had returned to South Carolina to work at Greenville Memorial Hospital. She ultimately retired from St. Francis Hospital as a nurse anesthetist, concluding a distinguished medical career defined by skill, compassion, and dedication. Yet retirement did not mark the end of her service. She went on to open a childcare center, Kiddie Country Club, where she devoted herself to nurturing and guiding young children with the same warmth and attentiveness she had shown her patients. Caring for others was never simply her profession; it was the essence of who she was.

After she retired in the 70’s, she continued to live life fully. Nettie filled a role in my life I never knew I needed. She was more than my Great Aunt; she became my safe place and best friend.

My most cherished memories are simple. We went to the mall, played cards, watched soap operas, and solved puzzles. She taught me to care for African violets, and every evening, we watched Wheel of Fortune. She read, knitted, crocheted, and baked cinnamon bread. Ordinary moments became extraordinary with her.

She allowed me to travel with her. She took me to the World’s Fair in Tennessee, to visit the Amish in Virginia, and on summer vacations at the lake and in the North Carolina mountains. In Florida, we searched for seashells and biked on the beach. She gave me experiences I hadn’t imagined.

What I didn’t fully understand at the time was that she wasn’t just spending time with me; she was shaping me. Her furry friend, Rudolph the dachshund, also brightened our days and brought her so much joy.

At 78, she stood by me as Maid of Honor in 1993. In that moment, I felt the full weight of her love, strength, and a lifetime of memories wrapped around me like a steady embrace. A few years later, Nettie was able to love on my children and show them the same kindness she had shown me.

Nettie passed away on July 1, 2007, but her legacy did not end that day.

Her influence is etched into who I am. Many years later, in 2025, I dedicated my doctoral dissertation to her. This was more than a gesture of recognition; her strength remains with me. She showed me how to rise with purpose, endure storms, and keep faith.

For North Greenville University, Nettie Onell Burnette represents the foundation of a mission centered on service and sharing God’s love. For me, she is the reason I truly understand what it means to live out that mission.

Her story reminds me that influence does not have to be loud to be powerful. It can live in quiet acts of love or in consistency. It grows in showing up day after day. It lives in the people we shape without even realizing it.

She was devoted to her country and community, her calling, her family, and her faith.

And because of that, her legacy lives on.