Henry Meredith Nelly III

Henry Meredith Nelly, III went to be with the Lord on May 9, 2023, he was 78 years old. Born on November 9, 1944 to Henry Meredith Nelly, Jr. and Mary Virna Guthrie Nelly of Houston, Texas, he was a fourth generation Houstonian. On September 3, 1967, Hank married his loving wife of 55 years, Penny Lee Alberding. Hank resided in Houston for the past 55 years where he devoted his life to raising a wonderful family and building a successful career.

In 1962, Hank graduated from Downey High School in southern California, at which time he went on to attend Arizona State University in Tempe where he graduated in 1968. He also earned a degree from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Over his professional career, Hank served as a faculty member for the Intermediate Banking School at SMU, director of the Texas Chapter of Robert Morris Associates and a member of the RMA National Policy Council.

Hank began his career in 1968 as a management trainee with Texas Commerce Bank in Houston and went on to hold various lending positions in the commercial and real estate divisions. In 1976, he created Texas Commerce’s loan management division. He was subsequently promoted to Executive Vice President of the Loan Administration Group, responsible for credit administration and loan review for the entire holding company, with a loan portfolio of approximately $14 billion. In 1985, Hank accepted a position as Executive Vice President of First City Bank of Texas, also in Houston. He was responsible for credit policy, credit administration and loan review for all 63 member banks.

In 1988, Hank joined Service Corporation International (“SCI”), the largest funeral home and cemetery company in North America. Hank was named President of Provident Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCI, which provided financial services for the funeral service industry. Hank retired in 1999.

Hank enjoyed spending time on the golf course, playing courses all over the world, but he was most passionate about Augusta National Golf Club and attended The Masters numerous times. He also had a passion for hunting, and enjoyed traveling on bird hunts across North and South America. He loved music, all college sports, his weekly lunches with close friends, and attending games for his beloved grandchild, Jackson. Hank was also a devoted member of Grace Presbyterian Church.

Hank is preceded in death by his grandparents, Thomas Hall Guthrie and Virna Colby Guthrie of Houston, and Henry Meredith Nelly, Sr. and Blanche Rosetta Craig Nelly of Parkersburg, West Virginia; his parents Henry Meredith Nelly, Jr. and Mary Virna Guthrie of Houston; and his brothers, William Colby Nelly and Paul Baade Nelly, both of Phoenix, Arizona.

Hank is survived by his wife, Penny Lee Nelly; his daughter Sherridan Lee Nelly Rowe and grandson, Jackson Braden Rowe; his son, Christian Meredith Nelly and daughter-in-law, Ashley Ronald Nelly, all of Houston; sister, Virna Nelly Reposa of Fort Worth; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to JDRF Juvenile Diabetes Foundation of Houston for research in finding a cure for Type One Diabetes. 1776 Yorktown, Suite 560, Houston, Texas 77056. 713-334-4400.

A celebration of life ceremony will be held on May 19, 2023 at 1pm in the Founders' Chapel at Grace Presbyterian Church; 10221 Ella Lee Lane, Houston, Texas 77042.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialoaksfunerals.com for the Nelly family.