Chaytor Venable Nabors

Chaytor Venable Nabors died on August 7, 2011 at Whispering Pines Nursing Home in Winnsboro, Texas after a long decline in health. She was 94 years old. Chaytor was born in Texarkana, Arkansas on February 4, 1917 to David Lewis Venable and Joanna Corban Venable. She attended Henderson State Teachers College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

She met and married John H. Nabors in 1939 and traveled with him around the state while he performed surveys for the Texas Insurance Department. They described that time of their life as so much fun. "Everything that we owned was packed in out little coupe car."

When John was called up from the National Guard Reserves in 1942 as a Captain, they lived in Brownsville, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi and Texas City as part of their tours of duty. After the conclusion of the war they moved to Houston to work for Insurance Company of North America. In 1951 they moved their family back to his hometown of Winnsboro when they purchased Gilbreath Insurance Agency. Chaytor also became a licensed insurance agent for that agency which is now owned by their daughter Joanna Nabors Horton.

Chaytor and John loved Winnsboro and participated in its political and social life. They worshiped at the First Methodist Church where she served on the church's Board of Trustees and served together on the Building Committees for the current sanctuary and Wesley Fellowship Hall. She and John joined other partners to build Whispering Pines Nursing Home in the mid 1970's and expanded the facility a few years later. Whispering Pines is still owned by family members.

Chaytor was President of the Fine Arts Club, now known as the Standard Club, whose primary goal was supporting Carnegie Library which is now the City's Gilbreath Memorial Library.

She was predeceased by John, her husband of 59 years, sisters Sarah Head and Betty Patterson, and a brother, Burrell Venable. Chaytor is survived by her three children, John H. Nabors Jr. and wife Winnie of San Marcos, CA, Joanna Nabors Horton and husband Wayne Horton of Winnsboro, and Wesley Venable Nabors of Winnsboro. Three grandchildren, Katherine Wilburn-Brannon of Pflugerville, JoAnne Nabors McKinney of Austin and David Bradley Nabors of Austin and four great grandchildren, Darien Wilburn, Katherine Nabors, John H. Nabors III and William Nabors.

A Memorial Service will be held at Beaty Funeral Home on Wednesday, August 10 at 6:30 PM with visitation from 5 to 6:30 PM. A private graveside service will be held at the Old City Cemetery where her husband is buried in the family plot. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to: Whispering Pines Scholarship Fund or a favorite charity.