Roberta “Kay” (Jones) Nelson
Roberta “Kay” (Jones) Nelson entered her eternal home and Heaven gained an angel June 28, 2024.
Services to celebrate Kay’s life were held July 3 at the Lanham Methodist Church with Pastor Rita Hotz officiating. Burial was in the Lanham Cemetery.
Kay was born to Robert and Mavis Helen Jones on Jan. 20, 1947, in Hamilton.
Kay grew up in the Lanham community outside of Hamilton. She graduated from Hamilton High School and attended Tarleton State University.
After her marriage to Gerald Nelson, she moved to Austin and later settled in Waco.
She had one daughter, Melissa, from her marriage to Gerald.
For many years she ran a home daycare and later worked for the Waco Tribune Herald for a number of years. She then invested her time purchasing and running a few dollar stores in Waco.
After closing business, she moved back to her childhood home in Lanham to care for her parents until their passing. She remained in Lanham and enjoyed her community there with nearby family, friends, her church and her sister until her health declined.
Kay was a lifelong Christian and believer in Christ. She had a very kind, caring and generous heart and was always willing to help when she saw someone in need. She was a long-time member of Woodway First United Methodist Church in Waco and later the Lanham Methodist Church after moving back to her childhood home. She was very active at her church in Lanham, helping to organize various social and holiday events and welcome new visitors in the community. She was also known as the church gardener in Lanham. She spent countless hours, almost daily, on the church and cemetery grounds pulling weeds, planting and tending to flowers, shrubs and trees. She always made sure that various graves in the cemetery had flowers on them. She loved when people driving by the church would see her out in the church lawn and stop by for a chat. She would always offer for them to come into the church and have a soda.
One of Kay’s greatest loves in life was being MeeMaw to Andrew, Bailey and Lauren Lynn. She loved spending time with them and spoiling them. Kay was blessed to welcome her first great-grandchild into this world in January 2023 We are so blessed that God gave us Kay in this world, and she will be missed so much until we see each other again.
Kay was preceded in death by her parents and brother-inlaw, David Holley.
She is survived by her daughter, Melissa Lynn and son-in-law Mike of China Spring; grandchildren Andrew Lynn and wife Chelsea and Bailey Lynn and wife Chloe, all of Waco, and Lauren Lynn of China Spring; great-granddaughter Elise Lynn; sister Helen Marie Holley of Hamilton; niece Lisa Jackson of Hamilton; and many other cousins, family and friends.
Pallbearers were Mike Lynn, Andrew Lynn, Bailey Lynn, Eric Allen, Glenn Jones and Mark Reuter.
The family would like to thank Mike and Debo Haynes of Lanham for the years they helped watch over and help Kay around her house while she was still living at home early in her illness. They would also like to thank Elizabeth Merino for the compassionate care she gave Kay.
Memorials may be made to Lanham Methodist Church or the Hamilton General Hospital Healthcare Foundation.
