Nina Griffies Hendrix

It is with tender hearts we share that our dear Nina Griffies Hendrix passed from this life on March 2, 2026. Nina lived a long and interesting life in the 90 years she was on this earth. She was loved and cherished as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, co-worker and friend.

Born June 12, 1935 in Tyler, Texas to Henry Ivan Griffies and Nellie Mae Smith Griffies. She was a wonderful surprise to the couple who had lost a son at birth almost exactly eight years prior. They did not expect to have any other children. She was the “sweet pea” of her extended family and they doted on her. Nina was named after her grandmother, Nina Day Smith. She was born into family lines that are as deep and old as Tyler itself. She is a descendant of James Calhoun Hill, an early settler and surveyor of Tyler.

Nina’s earliest years were spent in Palestine, Texas. Her father worked at the Union Pacific railroad office and her mother owned a rose flower nursery in Palestine. When she was in early elementary school, little Nina and her mother moved back to her mother’s family home in Tyler to help care for her aging grandmother. She attended the rest of her school years in Tyler and graduated Tyler High School in 1953. She made many life-long friends in those school years, in particular, two of her best friends, who were like sisters through life, Mary (Garner) Orman Orand and Joan (McClure) Aldredge. We know “The Three Musketeers”, as they were coined, are rejoicing together again!

Education was important to her parents and extended family, and they rallied to helped pay for her college expenses. She became interested in chemistry and the sciences when experimenting with a little chemistry set that was actually a gift for her cousin.

Nina graduated from Baylor University in November, 1956 with a Bachelors degree in Biology and minor degrees in Chemistry, History, German and English. She proved herself a very good student and had many fond memories of her years at the university. She graduated with memberships in the Alphi Chi Honorary Society and Tri-Beta Biology Fraternity.

Nina’s college life was not all books and microscopes. She first set eyes on Paul Hendrix while at Baylor. He was a dapper dresser and slightly older than most of the other students, as he had served in the Korean War. Paul was smitten with her brunette hair and glamorous looks. Following their graduation, the young couple continued the celebration by marrying in December, 1956 in Waco, Texas.

The newly married couple moved to Houston. Nina continued her training at Methodist Hospital Houston, graduating from the Medical Technology program, while Paul completed his Master’s degree in History. Their first daughter, Audrey, was born during the years they lived in Houston.

In the early 1960’s the Hendrix family of three drove from Texas across the West in a little black AMC Rambler, embarking on a West Coast move that was intended to be just for a few years. They ended up living in the Pacific Northwest for the next 30 years.

The family moved several times during their years in the Pacific Northwest. In every location, Nina found meaningful and interesting laboratory positions in varied environments including primate, genetics studies, and presenting lectures to students in the medical field. She was well-rounded in her experiences and held a variety of positions at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma, Providence Hospital, and U of W Primate Field Station in Seattle, Washington. While living in Oregon she worked at laboratories at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Columbia Park and The Dalles Hospitals in The Dalles. She worked in the laboratory at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem for almost 13 years.

Their second daughter, Amy, was born while they lived in Seattle.

By 1990, with both daughters married and moved away, Nina and Paul felt the call to return to Texas. They sold the little farm in Oregon and settled in Garland, where they would enjoy living nearer Audrey’s family. They lived in Garland on Country View Lane for another 30 years together. Nina was last employed by the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Dallas. She retired in March, 1999 with more than 10 years of service with the VA.

Nina and Paul attended Lake Highlands United Methodist Church, Dallas, and they were both part of the Koinonia Sunday School Class. Nina also enjoyed singing with the Chancel Choir for decades.

Besides her profession in laboratory sciences, Nina had many interests that added fulfillment and joy in her life. All of these interests were well represented on her bookshelves and music collection. Household chores and letter writing were often accompanied by musical soundtracks or opera playing in the background. For many years she and Paul were season ticket holders to the Dallas Opera and the Dallas theater. An avid reader, Nina was also a regular member of bookclubs. She held long term membership and served in several positions in local chapters of the AAUW, including the Mesquite Chapter, and NARFE (Garland).

Nina looked forward to her retirement years, with plans for some world travels. She and Paul enjoyed many cruises to Mexico, Mediterranean and Fjords of Norway. Other destinations included the UK and Germany; trips she took with the Festival Chorale

from Oregon. In 2007, Nina and Paul spent three weeks visiting their daughter Amy and her family, who were living in Thailand. Nina also treasured taking many road trips to explore favorite and historic cities with life-long Tyler girlfriends. The group also met regularly in their retirement years for “Birthday Lunch Bunch”.

Nina was a wonderful cook, and she enjoyed trying her hand at new cuisine when dining out. She would bring back a cookbook as a souvenir from a wonderful trip instead of the traditional t-shirt. She belonged to several gourmet cooking and dining clubs. She was of a generation interested in culinary delights before the era of social media “foodies”. She once won an recipe award and she was featured in The Dalles newspaper for it.

She also kept flower and vegetable gardens at many of their homes. Her culinary interests showed off the fruits, herbs, and vegetables from the garden. All sorts of flowers, particularly roses, were a favorite addition to her home gardens.

She adored being a grandmother to Nicholas, Patrick, Cameron, McKenzie and Kendall. She loved them and was immensely proud of them. This was demonstrated on her refrigerator which was covered top to bottom with photos of her family, friends and loved ones.

Nina and Paul shared 67 years of marriage on December 1, 2023. Paul passed away later the same month. They spent their final years together living at the Monticello West Assisted Living Community. Nina spent her last year residing at Daleport House Residential Care, with the comforting care and friendship of Martha, Julia and Nina.

Nina is survived by her daughters, Audrey Hendrix Payne (Michael Payne), Amy Hendrix Smith (Bryan Smith). As well as her grandchildren: Nicholas Payne (Laura), Patrick Payne (Allison), Cameron Smith (Anne), McKenzie Smith (Max Youngblood), Kendall Smith (Jay) and 6 great-grandchildren. She also leaves behind two cousins: David Griffies of Houston and Max Gilfillan, who was often more like a little brother than a cousin, from Tyler.

Nina is buried along side her parents and grandparents at Rose Hill Memorial Cemetery in Tyler. A memorial service is planned in Tyler in honor of her 91st birthday June, 2026.

She loved and was loved in return. We are so very grateful to have been given her as a mother, wife, grandmother and friend.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Lloyd James Funeral Home, 1011 East First Street, Tyler, TX 757013308, on June 13, 2026, at 11:00 am.