Nada S. Oltrogge

Nada Stuart Oltrogge, 81, of Clear Lake, died July 1, 2023, at home following a brief illness. 

A memorial party in her honor will be Saturday, Sept. 30, from 4-7 p.m., at the Clear Lake Yacht Club, 103 Main Avenue.

Nada was born Aug. 21 in either 1941 or 1942, depending on when you asked her. For the first half of her life, she professed her birth year as 1942, until she let it slip one day that she was baptized on Pearl Harbor Day – Dec. 7, 1941. What difference does a year make? Beats us, but from then on, an epic family joke was born that would endure until her death. She was the firstborn child of Cathryn and Clifford Faust of Waterloo, the city where she grew up and created many fond memories at their home on Fowler Street with younger brother, Michael. She was a proud graduate of the 1959 class of Waterloo East High School.

Following graduation, Nada met Wayne Oltrogge and they married in April 1961. The couple made their home in the married student barracks at the University of Iowa while Wayne completed law school. In July 1962, the couple welcomed son, Stuart. The following summer, Wayne accepted a position with a law firm in Clear Lake, and the town became their permanent home. From this point, Nada stayed at home to devote time to her family. They welcomed daughter, Susan, in November 1963. A third child, Sarah, joined the family in November 1971.

Nada was active in the Clear Lake community from the start, often hosting League of Women Voter meetings and forming lifelong friendships through her church, bridge club, Clear Lake Arts Council and T.T.T. She was especially proud of singing in a production of Handel’s Messiah and could be heard humming it off and on for years. Later in life, she kept active helping with the Clear Lake/Ventura Food Pantry. A voracious reader, Nada was well known to the Clear Lake Public Library staff, who kept her phone number on speed dial when new books became available.

In the 1980s, Nada returned to the working world by providing holiday sales and gift-wrapping support for her beloved Younkers. To her credit, Nada could fulfill entire Christmas wish lists with just one stop at Younkers, while her family marveled at the amount of Younkers-brand boxes unwrapped each year, many of which survive today. From there, she worked for Midwest Siding & Windows before joining Northern Trails Area Education Agency. In 1995, she recreated her professional career by becoming a salesperson for Yellowbook, a job that suited both her social and persuasive skills. In 1996, she was named to the President’s Club for achieving the top 10% in sales company-wide and was treated to an all-expense-paid cruise to the Bahamas. She remained with Yellowbook until her retirement in 2007.

She enjoyed traveling whenever the opportunity arose, visiting Italy, Canada, Mexico, and many U.S. states. She also delighted in spending time with her friends and family, particularly with granddaughter, Emily, for whom she wholeheartedly and enthusiastically cheered during hockey games and sailboat races, school, and other life events as her “#1 fan.” She loved Clear Lake, spending time on the water, summer afternoons reading and chatting with neighbors on her front porch, rooting for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and getting her hair done with epic dedication.

Nada is greatly missed by her children, Stuart (Julie) Oltrogge, Susan (Joel Happel) Oltrogge, and Sarah Oltrogge; granddaughter, Emily (David) Haugerud and great-grandson, Waylon; brother, Michael (Marcia) Faust; niece, Julie (Terry) Perreira and family; nephew, Chris (Kayoua) Faust and family; many cherished cousins and her faithful dog, Riley. 

She is predeceased by her parents.

In accordance with her wishes, memorial contributions may be made to the Clear Lake Public Library or the Clear Lake Sailing Center.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.