Laurie Belle (Shepherd) Nipper passed away on October 23, 2018 at the age of 95. The youngest of six children, Laurie was born in Gonzales, Texas on November 26, 1922, the daughter of Albertine Grasse and Thomas James Shepherd. At the age of 17, after completing high school, Laurie borrowed $1000 from her Aunt Mary and moved to Austin to attend Durham Business College, eventually working for the State of Texas Highway Department. She met her husband, Jack Thomas Nipper, at Central Christian Church of Austin. They were married on May 13, 1950, in Fort Worth and enjoyed 68 years of marriage.
After moving to Poughkeepsie, New York, where Jack worked for IBM, they settled in Dallas, Texas, where they lived until 2016, when they moved to Kyle. Laurie was a devoted wife, mother, and friend. She used her considerable talents and skills to create a wonderful home for her family and to assist the community around her. Laurie enjoyed being an active participant in Christian Women’s Fellowship of Oak Cliff Christian Church, where she and Jack were members for almost 60 years. She devoted countless hours of faithful service engaging in numerous projects that benefitted the needy. During her last years, a favorite project was sewing hundreds of “Beads of Courage” bags for children undergoing chemotherapy treatments at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.
Laurie is survived by her husband, Jack Thomas, daughters, Laurie Martin (Luke), Donna Green (Ron) and son Paul Thomas; seven grandchildren, Matt Green (Lawrie), Jenni Green, Meredith Mitchell (Pat), Natalie Nipper, John Martin, Abigail Martin Fox (Devin), Neilson Nipper (Laura); and great grandsons, Kayson Fox, Austin Fox and Caleb Green, three little boys who gave her great joy during these last months.
Laurie was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Zilman and Morgan Shepherd, sisters Elsie Cooksey, Lois DeBerry and Ruth Jackson.
A graveside service will be held at Kyle Cemetery on Saturday, October 27, at 1:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Kyle. Services by Legends Funeral Home of San Marcos.
Donations may be made to Children’s Medical Center Foundation, 2777 North Stemmons Fwy., Suite 1700, Dallas, 75207, Memo: Laurie Nipper, https://give.childrens.com/ or Juliette Fowler Foundation, 1234 Abrams Road, Dallas, 75214, Ebby House fund, https://fowlercommunities.org/intergenerational-program/ebby-house/.
