Nettie Margaret Cavalli

Nettie Cavalli passed away peacefully on February 12, 2026, in St. Paul, MN. She was born in Daly City, CA on June 7, 1930. She lived in California for 91 years, before bravely moving to Minnesota in 2021. She grew up in the Bay Area and married Robert Cavalli in 1954. They made their home in San Francisco and later moved to South San Francisco. During their retirement years, Bob and Nettie took several long cross country camping vacations. They had a deal, Nettie was willing to camp, so long as they ate dinner out. After Bob passed away (in 1991), Nettie moved to Lincoln, CA where she became an avid bowler. She had a long string of 200 games and was a member of the “high rolling” Camellia 500 club. Nettie adjusted well to life in MN. She looked forward to the changing seasons, except for winter. She was a life-long SF Giants and Forty-niners fan, even streaming games from her MN home. Nettie’s Minnesota family truly appreciated having her nearby to share family dinners, Yahtzee games, and time by the fireplace (with family dog, Rex).

Fun facts about Nettie: as a teenager she cut school to go to a Frank Sinatra concert, she met Spock (Leonard Nimoy) while working at Celestial Arts, she enjoyed taking her grandchildren out to Old Country Buffet, and she had a real sweet tooth (mostly Dove chocolates and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream).

Nettie was preceded in death by her husband Bob, brother John Griffith, and sister Anna Griffith. She is survived by her children Dan Cavalli and Sue (Bob) Mantell, her grandchildren Alison Mantell, Steve (Merrill Thomas) Mantell, and Ernie Mantell, one great grandchild, her brother Harold (Lydia) Griffith, and sister-in-law Shirley Korm.

Special thanks to the staff at Lyngblomesten for their kindness and care during Nettie’s stay.

Services will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma CA on Tuesday, February 24 at 11 am.