Nancy Abernathy (Peebles) Buell

Nancy Abernathy Peebles Buell was born on December 14, 1921 in Dallas, Texas. She grew up as a city girl. On Friday, September 3, 2010, she died in her Lake Jackson home of fifty years which she dearly loved, as she had wished. She was the only child of Henry Kellogg and Ethel Darr Peebles. She graduated from Sullins College in Bristol, Virginia, where her paternal Aunt was a professor, and she subsequently received her B. A. degree from the University of Texas (at Austin).

In 1943, in the midst of WWII, she married 1st Lieutenant Ralph Lewin Buell, Jr., U. S. Navy, whom she met playing ping pong in a college dormitory. During the war, she worked as a bank teller in New York City while her husband was at sea. A job with the Dow Chemical Company brought them to Freeport in 1946, where they resided until their move to Lake Jackson in 1960. Nancy Buell was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian church, which gave much meaning and purpose to her life. She chose to serve her God through its children as Sunday School teacher and youth leader and did so faithfully for many years. In addition, she sat on numerous church nomination committees. Her most visible gift to the Brazosport community was her conception and implementation of a volunteer organization for the local hospital. Along with her close friend Ruth Stoddard Brown, she co-founded what is now the Brazosport Regional Health System’s hospital auxiliary. She served as its first president in 1958-59 and continued work as a pink lady for 50 years. She was also an ardent supporter and early president of the Brazosport Memorial Day Care Center. In 1977, she was selected by the chamber of Commerce as Brozosport’s Outstanding Citizen, Woman of the Year. Her most lasting gift, however, to the people who knew her was her indomitable spirit. Nancy Buell was short in stature, 4 feet, 10 inches when she stood on her tiptoes. Most children in the area considered it an accomplishment when they surpassed her height. But being small never cramped her feisty, show stopping personality, which she demonstrated in her role as Margie in the Junior Service League’s production of “The Follies”. She could capture any audience, anywhere, be it composed of friends or strangers. She had been called a midget and a half pint by neighborhood boys. Her favorite nickname was “low tide”. But the label that best described her physique and her character was: “the little lady with a big heart.” Nancy Buell has a gift for hospitality. She made it her mission to welcome new church members by taking them out to lunch. She took a pot of soup to the sick even at 88 when she could barely walk. She rarely missed a friend’s birthday either by singing the tune over the phone or by sending a card. She played the piano and could erender the words of any tune. She played a good hand of bridge and cross stitched. She enjoyed cooking and the challenge of a crossword puzzle. Most of all she loved to dance. Survivors include her four children: Susan Darr Buell, Ralph Lewin (Buster Buell, III, Colin Kellogg Buell (wife Kerry) and Ellen Buell Clark. She has five grandchildren: Hunter Lee Hughes, Justin parker Buell, Austin Buell Clark, Larsen Darr Clark and Miles Trahan Clark. She is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law Dr. Walter F. and Elizabeth Buell of Austin, a cousin Carolyn Copper Bowen of Dallas and housekeeper of 35 years, Barbara Johnson. A memorial service to celebrate Nancy Buell’s life will be held at 4:00 pm Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at the First Presbyterian Church in Lake Jackson. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the mission fund of the First Presbyterian Church. Online condolences may be left at www.restwoodfuneralhome.com

Arrangements under the direction of Restwood Funeral Home, Clute, Texas.