Nellie Faye O'Quinn

Her grandmother lived with them and Faye had a good childhood, a remarkable childhood considering the difficulty most families experienced at this time in history, but her parents took good care of her. Her memories included her horse, her grandmother "Maw-Maw", and the neighbors. She was a daddy's girl, and loved spending time with him. He built a playhouse and the neighborhood kids liked to come play there. She also liked to go down the road to Mrs. Well's house and visit with her and her daughter. They would sit on the front porch, and Mrs. Wells told her stories about Jesus and led her to her faith in Jesus. She always spoke very kindly and softly when she mentioned Mrs. Well's name.

Faye graduated from Edgewood High School. She moved to Dallas to attend Draughn's Business College and moved into the home of the Pullman family in University Park to work as their nanny and care for their only child. She did such a good job that when the Pullman's decided to move to New Jersey, they asked her to go with them, but Faye wanted to finish school. Every week-day, she would take the bus to and from their house to downtown Dallas. One day, she stepped down off the bus, fell, and broke her arm. She moved back home to Edgewood to get better, but she did not return to school. She went to work at The First Baptist Church in Wills Point, TX as the church secretary for Brother James Riley. When he moved to Paris, TX, she moved to continue as his secretary until she contracted bacterial meningitis. She moved back to her parents' home to get well. When she improved, or as she said, "got tired of hearing the story of her illness retold each evening," she moved to Cristoval, TX. This was just outside of San Angelo. She moved in with her dad's brother, Uncle Leonard and Aunt Ruth.

One day, her Uncle's garage caught on fire. Ray O'Quinn, a neighbor's nephew, ran over and put the fire out. He had not only saved the day, but he was a former Marine. Ray had recently moved to Cristoval to live with his aunt and uncle. He had served in the Korean War and had received a slight wound that grazed his head. This earned him a Purple Heart for his actions that day. He was a hero who put the fire out and a Marine. They started dating, and their courtship did not last long because they were married 3 weeks later on October 9th, 1952. Faye always said she did not recommend this for her own kids, but their marriage lasted 52 years. They lived in San Angelo for a while with Ray working for the oil company and Faye working at the Tax Assessor's office.

They took a trip to Mississippi to meet the O'Quinn side of the family and decided to live there, but Faye was homesick, and they moved back to Texas. This time to Dallas. Ray worked for the Ford Assembly Plant and Dr. Pepper Bottling Company. Their first child, a son, was born and they named him Ray Lamar Jr. Their second child was named Shirley Ruth. They decided to move to Grand Prairie where Ray could work for Chance Vault. Little did they know that a lay-off was eminent, which was often the case with this company, but a Christmas lay-off was not a pleasant occurrence. They moved to Flats, TX where Ray helped build the Tawakoni dam.

About 4 years later, they tried again to live in Mississippi and Ray went to work for Hydrotane Gas Company delivering butane. Their last child was born-Judy Kay. Ray got sick and was admitted to the Veteran's Hospital. They had to move back to TX and settled in Irving, TX to raise their children. This time, it stuck. Ray began working for DAP Products for many years before his retirement.

Faye had health problems much of the time that her children were young. She had seizures for a time that the doctors were able to help stabilize. Her health improved as her youngest started school. Faye always made sure that her children went to church. They were members of Hilltop Drive Baptist Church. Ray started going to church and became a deacon. Faye always said these were some of the best years of her life. Their children grew up and they moved to Edgewood, then Canton. Faye never worked outside of the home during her marriage, but in Canton, she had a bed and breakfast for a while in her home.

Faye will tell you that her grandchildren were near and dear to her heart. She had pictures of them on the wall and loved to tell people about them. Jackie, she loved you very much because she helped raise you. She was always proud of you and loved each one of her family members.

Ray and Faye were members of the First Baptist Church in Canton and had many friends from a Sunday School class. Mom was involved in her Sunday School class and Women's Missionary Union (WMU). Her family always knew that she prayed for them and they could depend on that. She was active in the Home Extension Club and loved to sew and cook.

Ray died in 2003. Judy moved in to live with her. She helped her mom, and they became companions and good friends. Mom developed macular degeneration about the time they moved to Edgewood, but it worsened over the years. It was a significant disability, and she was legally blind. It limited her ability to do many things and caused a certain amount of frustration because to look at her, it didn't appear that she had any vision trouble. She always said that many people were not patient with her, and she didn't like to have to explain it to people out in public. Judy became her right arm and she depended heavily on Judy's help. The Lighthouse for the Blind also helped her when they moved to Canton, but Judy was her constant and reliable help. We take a lot of comfort in the fact that Faye can SEE again now that she is in heaven.

When Faye started showing signs of dementia, Judy took care of her and watched as she slowly slipped away in the evenings. She always recognized her family, but evenings were not clear for her, and she would soon go to bed earlier. As her health declined, she began having more problems. She was admitted to Mother Francis in Tyler on February 20th, with an infection. She was diagnosed with Stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that had metastasized to the liver and lung. It was quite a surprise because she was asymptomatic. Judy and Shirley took her home and with the help of Hospice of East Texas, she lived 16 more days.

Nellie is survived by her three children: Judy Beard of Canton; Shirley Horsley and husband, Tom, of Tyler; and Ray Lamar O'Quinn, Jr. of Dallas; three grandchildren: Jackie Beard and wife, Jenie; John Horsley and Russ Horsley and wife, Lisa; and four great-grandchildren: Kincade Beard, Maverick Beard, Jenice Beard and Miley Horsley.

A memorial service will be held 11 am Thursday, March 15, 2018, at the First Baptist Church in Canton with Pastor Mike Roberson officiating. Interment will be in the DFW National Cemetery.

Faye's family is very appreciative of all the kind words and expressions of help from family and friends. To God Be the Glory!