NINA SUZANNE NELMS LYONS

1953-2017

Heaven gained a one-ofa-kind angel on Friday, the 2nd of June 2017, when Nina Suzanne Nelms Lyons passed away unexpectedly at home.

A native Houstonian, Nina was born to Suzanne and Frank Nelms on the 29th of December 1953. She attended The Kinkaid School and Lamar High School, graduating from Southwestern University in 1975. At Southwestern, Nina met Jack Allen Lyons. They quickly fell head over heels for each other and were married on the 15th of May 1976. After two years living in Midland, they made their home in Houston.

Nina and Jack have been involved with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for over 35 years. Nina joined the Quarter Horse Committee in 1983 where she served as vice chairman from 19982000. She became a lifetime committeeman in 2008. Nina proudly supported Jack as he served as chairman of the board for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 2015-2017. Nina was a member of Amigas Para Ninos, Ladies of the Rodeo Society, the Junior League of Houston, River Oaks Country Club and Garden Club of Houston.

To say the least, Nina was the life of the party, and everyone wanted to be a part of it. She never met a stranger and quickly made friends with everyone in the room by the end of the night. Her contagious smile and vibrant personality drew people to her. As a mom, she always taught her kids to not stress because nothing in life was worth getting upset over.

Nina, also known as “Noni” to her grandchildren, loved her family more than words can express. She was preceded in death by her father, Frank Constant Nelms and her brother, Frank Chadwick Nelms. She is survived by her mother, Suzanne Rodgers Nelms; her loving husband of 41 years, Jack, and their children, Chad Lyons and his wife Katie, Allen Lyons and his wife Carol Lee, Sara Lyons Patten and her husband Reid; and their four grandchildren, Annie, Berklee, Wick, and Cameron Lyons.

Friends are cordially invited to celebrate Nina’s life with the family from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Tuesday, the 6th of June, at River Oaks Country Club. Please honor Nina’s love of turquoise jewelry by wearing yours in her memory. Prior to the reception, the family will gather for a private service.

In lieu of flowers and customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Educational Fund, Attn: Jamie Voskamp, P.O. Box 20070, Houston, TX, 77225; the Harmon Family Foundation, 1806B Nantucket Drive, Houston, Texas 77057; the Frank Chadwick Nelms Scholarship Fund at the University of the South, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, TN, 37383; the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 50 Briar Hollow Lane, Suite 250E, Houston, Texas 77027; or to the charity of one’s choice.