Martha Nelle Dupuy

MARTHA NELLE DUPUY, our beloved Mother, Momma Nelle, Grandmother, Gra-Gra, and friend passed away peacefully on the morning of September 12, 2013 at the remarkable age of 90. Nelle was born on June 22, 1923 in Macon, GA to C.T. and Dona Crutchfield Goodson. As a teenager, her family moved to Shreveport, LA where she met and married Junius Willis Dupuy and where their two daughters, Julie and Janelle were born. After living in several Oklahoma cities and Billings, Montana, Nelle moved to Houston, TX in 1960 where she began her career as Departmental Secretary of Education at Rice University until her retirement in 1988.

Nelle is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Julie and Curt Lewis of Dallas, TX and Janelle and Rob Meyer of Houston, TX. She is survived by three granddaughters and their family, Shellie and Bill Driscoll of Dallas, TX; Laura Gore of Euless, TX; Jennifer and Mark Adkins of Cypress, TX; and great grandson, Sam Driscoll of Dallas, TX. Nelle is also survived by many beloved Georgia cousins and Texas nieces. She is also survived by her cherished extended family and many treasured friends in Houston, TX. Nelle was predeceased by her parents, her brother Robert Guy Goodson, her husband, grandson Mitch Gore, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

The family would like to thank Violet Hillmon for her companionship and loving care of our mother and also the doctors and caring staff in the IMU, sixth floor at Memorial Hermann Hospital - Katy.

Visitation with the family will be at Forest Park Westheimer on Tuesday, September 17th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. A graveside service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, September 21st in Macon, GA. Although a passionate Texan from 1960 to the present, Nelle always called Georgia home. As she loved flowers, the family welcomes them at both services. For those who wish to make a charitable contribution in her honor, gifts can be sent to Wounded Warrior Project. Details can be found on the Forest Park Westheimer website.

Our mother was a "steel magnolia," a lady with true Southern charm. She fiercely loved all her family and her heritage, making sure we all appreciated our "roots." She was an amazing cook and hostess with an outstanding and abundant collection of cookbooks. She especially loved dogs, cats and birds and had recently become an American Eagle-holic. She was an avid reader and an accomplished bridge player, as well as a passionate gardener who especially loved her pear and tangerine trees. She loved politics and was always ready for a lively discussion. With a pithy saying to fit every occasion, she could exclaim, "Great day in the morning!" like no one else. She had a deep love of our Lord and was a member of Bear Creek United Methodist Church. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her and will live in our hearts forever.

Grandmother

There are a lot of dear and wonderful memories I will be able to tell and cherish of my grandmother. One of them is when I was a young girl, we would go and visit her in Houston. The closer we got the more excited I would get. Then as the car would stop, I would jump out, not even waiting for the rest of the family, and run to her door! There she would be, with jar in hand. As I would look into her loving eyes, she would point and say, "there he is", my frog I would catch and put into the jar. It was like she knew right when I would be there and as always there would be a frog for me. She would have Antone’s, my favorite po’ boy sandwiches, there in her refrigerator, and if not, we would jump in her car and go get them. Sitting with her, eating our sandwiches and drinking our, as she would always say, Coca-Cola, always brought such joy to me. Our visits were wonderful and full of fun.

Grandmother was there for me whenever I needed her, no matter the distance between us. Talking, crying, whatever it may have been, she always had time for me. She spoke words of wisdom and courage. Her favorite saying was, "we are steel magnolias, we can get through anything". She helped me get through the first few weeks of the worst time of my life, comforting me and then calling me every day. I can still hear her sweet voice saying, "how's my girl?"

Grandmother never forgot a birthday. She would always call very early on the morning of your birthday and when you picked up the phone she would start singing happy birthday. I am going to miss those mornings. Grandmother always had a great story to tell, and the way she would tell them, you could just sit and listen all day.

Grandmother is a sweet, gentle and caring person, a true southern lady. We are so blessed to have had her in our lives. My heart aches now that she is no longer with us, but I know that she is with our Lord and Savior, and when it is time for me to go home, she will be there with her hands held out, saying, "Laura, how's my girl?"

Laura Gore