Nywana Annetta Gober

Nywana Annetta (Nash) Gober, age 84, died surrounded by her children on September 3, 2023, following a heart attack earlier in the week.

Nywana was born on March 10, 1939, to George and Ila Nash in Sanger, California; the family having moved from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. When her father George was deployed to Italy for World War II, Nywana moved to Oklahoma City with her mother Ila and sister Myrna. After the war, the family lived in and around the Newalla, Oklahoma area until after Nywana—by then the oldest of six children—finished high school.

She loved school and graduated as Valedictorian of McLoud (Oklahoma) High School in 1956. She married her sweetheart, Glen Gober, on August 21, 1956. Together they raised three children—Bill, Becky, and Stephanie—and were married for over 60 years, until Glen’s death in 2017.

Glen enlisted in the Navy right after high school, and Nywana was a Navy wife for over 20 years. She kept the home fires burning through sea-duty deployments, his tour of duty in Vietnam, and over a dozen cross-country moves, from Oklahoma to California and Alaska to Florida. She did this all while working full-time outside the home. In 1973, the family moved to Mankato, Minnesota, for Glen’s recruiting duty, and they settled there after he retired from the Navy.

Nywana started working as an accountant at Hubbard Milling Company (later Ridley) in 1973 and stayed there 31 years until her retirement in 2004. While she worked full-time and raised her family, Nywana also took night classes at Mankato State University for many years, helping advance her career by completing most of the coursework for a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Developing deep connections to the Mankato community, Nywana was a member of the National Association of Accountants, member and Treasurer of a TOPS group, and a 50-year member of Crossview Covenant Church where she served as a deacon.

An amazing needleworker, Nywana made beautiful clothing and many crazy figure skating costumes for her daughter Stephanie. She was a voracious reader and an avid puzzler, from crosswords to Sudoku to jigsaws. She loved RV travel, playing board games, and spending time with family.

Nywana is survived by her children Bill Gober, Becky Hottinger, and Stephanie Gober; her grandchildren Jack Hottinger (Shawn Johnson) and Veronica (John) Larson; her great-grandchildren Marcedes (Randy) Reffitt, Alexsia Hottinger, and Reagan and Silas Larson; her great-great grandsons Parker and Ryker Reffitt; her sisters Myrna (Delbert) Nelson, Paulette (Jonathan) Blakeslee, Barbara Nash, and Peggy (Jerry) Helzer; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Glen Gober; her parents, George and Ila Nash; her brother George Dee Nash; and sisters-in-law Freda Russell and Adela Nash.

She was the best mom and grandma ever and was the much-beloved and admired rock of our family. She will be missed tremendously, but we are happy to know that she is reunited with her beloved Glen.

A memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at Northview-North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato, MN 56003, with visitation starting 1 pm. Her ashes will be interred at Dale Cemetery in Shawnee, OK, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Shriners Hospital for Children. The service will be livestreamed and available  below.

The live stream link below is a complimentary service provided by

Northview – North Mankato Mortuary.

Unforeseen technical, internet, facility, and/or acoustical circumstances may produce a diminished end product. Please note, if the live stream does not appear, we are attempting to record and publish the service for later viewing.