Nancy Lyles Durham

Nancy Lyles Durham passed peacefully the morning of November 25, 2022, swathed in the love of her family. Nancy was born March 27, 1934, on Bayou Boeuf to Sam and Myrtle Lyles. She grew up on Compromise, the farm where her parents raised cotton, cattle, and nine children to adulthood. Nancy was the seventh of those children, the sixth daughter, and the last surviving member of her birth family. Always at the top of her class, Nancy read avidly, raised a champion heifer (Royal Oxford's Pearl Ann), and was Louisiana state typing champion. On her first day as a nursing student on an academic merit scholarship at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, Nancy met Bob Durham. They married December 20, 1953. After college, Bob received a commission as a U.S. army officer and was stationed in Brandon, England, where Nancy gave birth to their first daughter, Katherine. Soon followed their daughter Barbara, who was born in Baton Rouge, and their daughter Susan, born in Houston. Her daughters were her heartbeat. Brilliant, beautiful, and beloved, Nancy was a gifted pianist and public school teacher. She played piano and organ for many a church service, school program, and family sing-along. During her decades-long teaching career, Nancy taught kindergarten to college across a range of subjects that included English, computer literacy, and science. Her students were all dear to her, including rambunctious middle school tweens, angsty high schoolers, and precious special needs children, many of whom were socially disadvantaged. Throughout her life, Nancy was a strong advocate for civil rights and a quality public school education for all children. As a teen, she wandered through the empty shacks on her parents' farm and wondered about the lives of those who had lived in them. She listened intently as people shared their experiences at her mother's kitchen table. Wicked smart and deft with words, she was known for her well crafted letters to the editors of the Herald Coaster, Houston Chronicle, and other online and print periodicals. Nancy was an agile crosswordist and lexical research scholar. Her favorite word was "family." She is survived by her daughters, Katherine Durham Oldmixon Garza, Mary Barbara Durham Alderete (husband Lupe), and Nancy Susan Durham Kubricht; grandchildren, Seth Oldmixon (wife Sarah), Mary Oldmixon Ling (husband Travis), Jonathon Oldmixon (wife Chu), Leah Oldmixon Wilson (husband James), Jason Alderete (wife Marion), Justin Alderete (wife Yvette), Joshua Kubricht, Kristi Kubricht, Kami Kubricht Maertz (husband Mark), and Kali Kubricht Thurman (husband Daniel); great-grandchildren Colin Oldmixon, Dylan Ling, Nikki Ling, Bennett Oldmixon, Lauren Oldmixon, Adelyn Miller, Ryan Alderete, Madeline Alderete, Juliet Alderete, Luke Alderete, Jacob Alderete, Arabella Alderete, Lauren and Layla Hinkley, Coral Kubricht, Mark Joshua Maertz, Michael Maertz, Kyle Maertz, Ashlyn Thurman, Danika Thurman, and Edan Thurman; and great-great granddaughter Violet Cuestas. Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Lee Durham, Jr,; parents, Mary Myrtle Guy Lyles and Samuel Pickles Lyles; siblings, Sue Eakin, Wanda Elizabeth (Betty) McGowen, Manie Culbertson, William (Bill) Lyles, JoAnne White, Grace Uffman, Catherine (Kitty) Coleman, Sam Lyles, and three siblings who died in infancy, Samuel, Sarah, and Charlie. The funeral and graveside service will be held at Davis-Greenlawn Funeral Home, on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at 2p.m. The family asks that memorial donations be made to Anthropos Arts [anthroposarts.org], who provides music education to underserved youth, or Family to Family Network [www.f2fn.org], who provides support for underserved families raising children with special needs. ,

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Nancy Lyles Durham

March 27, 1934 - November 25, 2022