Robert A. Nettleton, age 86, of Volga, died Sunday, January 19, 2014, at the Brookings Hospital. Funeral services will be 10:30 A.M. Thursday, January 23, 2014, at First Reformed Church in Volga, with interment in the Arlington City Cemetery. Visitations will be from 4-7 P.M. Wednesday at Eidsness Funeral Chapel in Volga. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to First Reformed Church or to the sender's choice. Robert Arthur Nettleton was born August 14, 1927, on a farm near Arlington to Amos A. and Clara G. (Greenley) Nettleton. He was baptized into the Methodist faith. He attended a small country school close to his home and finished the 8th grade. He didn't attend high school, but rather chose to help on the family farm. They raised grain, hogs, and Hereford cattle. Robert met Dorothy Johnson who had just moved to the area with her parents. She became the love of his life and they were married on January 12, 1951, at Pipestone, Minnesota. They lived in their own home on the family farm. To this union three sons were born. Robert continued to be active in the Arlington Methodist Church, with a special interest and enjoyment in the God's Acre Program; farmers in the church collectively farmed a piece of land with the proceeds going to missions. In 1967 Robert and Dorothy decided to quit farming and moved to Volga. He drove a bulk milk truck for a year, then began working at SDSU. He retired in March of 1990 with more than 20 years of service in the Plant Science Department. In Volga they became members of the First Reformed Church. Robert enjoyed fishing with his sons and grandchildren, gardening, riding a bike, walking, and listening to the radio. The family vacationed for 20 consecutive years at Blanche Lake in Ottertail County, Minnesota. Many good memories were made and many fish stories were told. Over the years, Robert and Dorothy enjoyed many motor coach tours. Grateful to have been a part of his life are his wife of 63 years, Dorothy; his three sons: Douglas (Cheri) of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, David of Volga, and Donald (Betty) of Sturgis, South Dakota; four grandchildren: Benjamin Nettleton (Amy Collins) of Houston, Texas, Peter Nettleton (Melissa Bjornson) of Fargo, North Dakota, Elizabeth Nettleton (fiancé Patrick McGurk) of Austin, Texas, and Thomas Nettleton of Houston, Texas; a great-granddaughter, Aryn Vyolet Bjornson-Nettleton; a sister, Helen (Otis) Knutson of Volga; and a sister-in-law, Joyce Johnson, of Nampa, Idaho. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, LeRoy; a sister-in-law, Doris Nettleton; and a brother-in-law, Dennis Johnson.