Racine – Amber Nichole Hetland, age 22, passed away after a tragic automobile accident with one of her dearest friends, Haley Montee, on Saturday, June 17, 2017. Amber was born in Racine, Wisconsin on December 19, 1994 at 1:57 p.m. to Angelica Marie (nee: Bruno) Flores and Paul Joseph Hetland.

Amber was a gifted artist who drew the world through her own eyes. She intuitively celebrated diversity and thus took great care to portray all people with compassion and honesty—no matter their race, gender or socio-economical status. Amber had the unique ability to see humor everywhere and in every thing. For her, it was its own living and breathing entity, separate but explicitly tied to every occasion. Like a twister kite tale, it spun. It spun through each of our lives—through our shared moments of surprise, of celebration and, yes, even our grief.

Then she chuckled as she adjusted her safety goggles and, as an extraordinary feeling of speed and strength flowed through the kite and into her and, without even so much as a glance at the pearly-blue world behind her, she disappeared, among the stars. ~ Burnett

Surviving are her mother, Angelica "Angie" Marie (nee: Bruno) Flores; father, Paul Joseph (Patty Johnston) Hetland; sisters, Breana (Bobby Langdon) Bowen, April Hetland and Megan Hetland; brother, Anthony Hetland; Stepsisters, Lindsay Bruce (Flores) and Heather Flores, grandmother, Bonnie Swanson; nephews and niece, Lincoln Langdon, Addison Hetland and Beau Hetland; aunts & uncles, John (Leslie) Bruno and their children, Leaf & Forest; Jennifer Bruno and her children, Audrianna (and her son, Ayden), Alexis & Tristan; Elizabeth (Sam) Modder and their children, Uriah & Willa; Stephanie Swanson, Ron (Reachel) Hetland, Susie (Gary) Weinkauf, Dan (Pat) Hetland, Mike (Debbie) Hetland, Joe (Jeri) Hetland, Jackie (Gary) Pfeilstifter, Mary Johann and Tim (Joanne) Hetland; great-aunts, Karen Alvord and Ethel (Terry) Dowling; God Mother, DaNelle Borglin (God-sister, Lexy Salazar and God-brother, Xavier Angeles) other relatives and many, many dear friends – too numerous to mention all by name. Amber was preceded in death by her grandparents, Roby Swanson and Vilas & Agnes Hetland.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 23, 2017 at 11:00 am in Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home with Rev. Samuel Jackson officiating. Interment will follow in Graceland Cemetery. Visitation will be in the funeral home on Thursday from 5:00-8:00 pm and on Friday from 10-11 am.

Service Details

Funeral services – Friday, June 23, 2017 at 11:00 am in Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home

Visitation- Thursday in the funeral home from 5:00 – 8:00 pm and Friday from 10:00 – 11:00 am