Andrew Bryce Nettlebeck

Our beautiful son Andrew passed away peacefully on Monday, December 26, 2022, surrounded by his family after a 15-month long battle with brain cancer; Andrew was 31 years young.

Andrew was born here in Southern California on February 5, 1991; He was our first-born child.

Andrew had a passion for running and coaching. His greatest joy was watching his cross-country kids grow in strength and perseverance to be their best. He coached cross country at Big Bear Middle School for seven years and was an assistant cross-country coach at Big Bear High School for several years. The single most important aspect of his life during his battle with cancer was to continue to coach the Big Bear Middle School Cross Country Team and help them earn another championship for the season. We are so proud of his grit and determination to see that goal through, and he was so proud of his team for their commitment in achieving it.

Andrew’s passion for running started in middle school, but really ignited when he joined the cross-country team at BBHS with his lifelong buddy Preston Carlisle. His coach, Mickey Hall, is the driving force that kept Andrew’s interest in becoming a distance runner and helped shape him into the outstanding young man and coach that he became.

From the time that Andrew was very young, he always wanted to be a firefighter. After graduating high school, he went off to college in Oregon and enrolled in the firefighting program. After completing the program, Andrew moved back to Big Bear and got his first job as a wild land fire fighter with the local forest service.

Andrew was also an avid online gamer. He enjoyed playing games and met many other players online all over the country that eventually became his good friends. One of the online gamers, Joel Bennett, lived in Nashville, and Andrew had the opportunity to go meet Joel in person. They immediately became best of friends and decided to share an apartment in Nashville where Andrew picked up and moved to. Andrew also became great friends with Andrew Smithson of Nashville who he met through Joel while playing online. Meeting in person, they found they both liked video games, hockey, and junk food. Although his time in Nashville was short, they all formed strong bonds and remained great friends.

After moving back to Big Bear, Andrew joined Bear Valley Unified School District as a noon duty aid at North Shore Elementary School. This is where the passion for working with young people sparked and he changed his focus from fire fighting to becoming an educator and coach. Andrew enrolled in a Bachelor of Education program with an emphasis on middle school science and graduated with his teaching degree in 2019. He began working as a substitute teacher here in Big Bear.

Andrew began refocusing on making cross country a priority in his life while finishing his degree. He and long-time head coach, Jonathan Stiles, became great friends and hung out together. Jonathan’s friendship and mentoring is probably the most influential force that moved Andrew towards his desire to be a coach. Many of Andrew’s best memories that he shared with us involved Jonathan and the adventures they had together.

Not only did Andrew enjoy running, but he also loved to hang out with friends and team members and go on trips. Jumping off cliffs at Deep Creek, going to the beach, and team camping trips to Catalina and Lake Tahoe were among the many of his treasured memories. Not a weekend would go by without some sort of on-the-go adventure. Andrew wasn’t built for sitting around.

Andrew is survived by his parents, Kenneth and Julie Nettlebeck; brother, Kyle Nettlebeck; Grandfather, George Coatney; Aunts, Terry Hall, Kathy Nettlebeck; Aunt and Uncles, Debbie and Stan Whittum, Kathleen O’Rourke and David Nettlebeck; and many cousins.

Andrew had so many special friends, too many to list, and he truly loved all the kids that he coached over the years.

There will be a celebration of Andrew’s life on Saturday, January 21, 2023, 2:00 PM at Calvary Chapel of Big Bear. Please feel free to wear a Cross-Country team shirt, School Spirit wear, or any other athletic wear instead of more formal attire if desired.

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