Nell (Sebastiana) Ciculla
January 22, 1924-June 18, 2025
Nell was a devoted and beloved daughter, sister, and aunt. She was born in Omaha on January 22, 1924, to Alfio Ciculla and Rose Conti Ciculla. She grew up with her parents and her two younger sisters, Ann and Carmella, in a small house on S. 11th St. in Omaha’s Little Italy.
She graduated in 1942 from Central High School, where she excelled in math and accounting. According to her sister, Carmie, Nell was always “good with figures” and often said she liked working with numbers because “numbers don’t lie.” After high school, she put her mathematical talents to use for a few years at the Brandeis department store offices. She then moved to Swift & Company, where she enjoyed a successful career in accounting for more than 40 years. Even well into her later years, she retained her sharp mind and could readily discuss and understand various financial matters.
Both of Nell’s parents emigrated from Sicily and joined a large extended family who already had settled in Omaha. As the eldest child, Nell helped her family as they navigated the challenges of their new country. Once she was in school, she translated for them and helped them learn English. When she got older, she learned to drive and eventually bought the family’s first car. Nell even helped them pay off the mortgage on their home. Nell lovingly cared for parents in their later years and acted as a second mother to her sisters. She provided support, comfort, and advice to Ann and Carmie, encouraging them to travel, attend college, and/or pursue their own careers. She was a wonderful aunt who doted on her nieces, Linda and Sharon, and she welcomed her many great nieces and nephews with joy. In many ways, Nell provided the foundation for the success of her immediate family, as well as for its next generations.
Nell lived with her sister, Carmie, her whole life, and the two of them created a happy and welcoming home for themselves. She had many friends, and she loved to bowl, garden, and cook. She was particularly good at making the traditional Sicilian recipes she learned from her mother and grandmother. For most family gatherings, she would bring (and her family always requested) her spaghetti with meatballs and sausage, meat pies, pizza, ricotta pies, and biscotti.
Nell’s defining characteristic was perhaps her unwavering positivity. She took all setbacks in stride, kept moving forward, and never felt sorry for herself. When she was diagnosed with macular degeneration and lost most of her eyesight, she never complained. She simply found ways around it the best she could. Nell approached life with gratitude and love.
Nell is survived by her sister, Carmella Ciculla; her nieces and nephews-in-law, Linda and Bob Spittler and Sharon and Jim Fowler; her greatnieces and nephews and their spouses/significant others, Lauren and Edward Francis, Justin Spittler and Liza Espitia Montoya, Kelsey and Megan O’Brien, Tom Spittler and Amelia Broussard, Elena Fowler, and Nick Fowler; and her great- great -nieces and nephews, William, Annabelle, and Alexander Francis, Calvin and Colbie O’Brien, and Oliver Spittler.
She was preceded in death by her sister, Fannie Ann Rosse.
VIGIL: Monday, June 23, 2025, at 7:00PM with VISITATION beginning at 5:00PM at West Center Chapel, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha.
MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 10:00AM, St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, 1248 S. 10th St., Omaha.
INTERMENT: Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church.
To view live broadcasts of the Vigil Service and Mass, please visit www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “Live Cast” button at the top of the home page.
Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler, West Center Chapel, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha, Ne 68124. (402)-391-3900. www.heafeyheafey.com
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