Anne Sumlin Nabors

Anne Sumlin Nabors was born in the small northern Louisiana town of Arcadia on July 27, 1928. She passed away peacefully in her sleep March 10, 2020 surrounded by her family. Anne was the youngest of six. The family moved to Simsboro a few years later. Anne loved the Lord, her family and people from an early age and grew up visiting relatives and friends and working in her Daddy's general store. She was commended for her sales ability and would always remind folks of items they might need before they checked out- like do you need any toothpaste, razors or maybe some deodorant? She had a special relationship with her grandfather who was a Baptist minister. He was a kind man and always had time for her and helped her foster a genuine and close relationship with God that would later sustain her through trying times. During her early teenage years two of her older brothers along with several cousins went off to war during World War II. It was a very sad and difficult time as family members left behind huddled around the radio for daily news and prayed for the safety of loved ones. At one time, both of her brothers were listed as Missing in Action. It was later discovered one had died and the other was a prisoner of war. What a happy day it was when brother Everett finally made it home! Anne attended and graduated from Louisiana Tech in Ruston earning a degree in music. During her time at Tech, she was invited to tour the western part of the United States with her college choir and later toured Europe with the same group. After graduating she sang soprano with the opera in Shreveport and directed the choir at a local church. Anne was quite talented and had an opportunity to pursue her professional musical career, but opted for marriage and a family instead. She told us she was always happy with her decision because family was so important to her. She met and married Jim Nabors in the summer of 1954. They were married for 40 years until he passed away March 5, 1995. They raised three children: Lee Anne, Mack and Bill. The family moved to Port Arthur, Texas in 1963 where Jim began a Farmers Insurance Agency and Anne taught music and directed the choir at church. The couple later moved the business to Houston in the fall of 1977. Anne began working at the agency and discovered she still had a "knack" for business. With the children grown, grandchildren began to come and Anne and Jim welcomed them with open arms. Most holidays found everyone gathered around the family table enjoying the "award winning" cooking that "Grandmother" was known for! Anne and Jim enjoyed family, good friends, theater and churchwork throughout their years together. In 1991, Anne fulfilled a lifelong dream to go on a mission trip to Singapore and China. When she was in the 4th grade, she saw a picture of the Great Wall of China in her geography book and exclaimed, "I'll walk on that wall one day!" She did exactly that 54 years later - after helping her group of 4 women smuggle in 5 large suitcases of Bibles to the Chinese Christians through an organization called Open Doors. The Chinese Christians were desperate for the simple Bibles we in the United States often take for granted. In the spring of 1995, Anne lost Jim, her husband and it was her deep faith and conviction that God was good no matter what that sustained her. She eventually went on to help found a Women's Mentoring Ministry at her local church and was able to work with and encourage many younger women in the process. Anne was 91 years old and remained the same joyful person she was when she was young with a continued love for the Lord, family and the people around her. She always had a smile and encouraging word for everyone she met! Anne is survived by her daughter Lee Anne Nabors Box and husband Steve; son Mack Nabors and wife Joy; son Bill Nabors; 7 grandchildren Patricia, Renea, Sarah, Chuck and wife Lisa, Joshua, Nicholas; 6 great-grandchildren Colby, Lauren, Victoria, Hannah, Andrew and Emma. The family will hold a private graveside service on Sunday, March 15, 2020 in Mansfield, Louisiana. A memorial service celebrating Anne's life will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at the Schmidt Funeral Home located at 1508 East Avenue in Katy, TX 77493. In place of flowers, contributions may be made to Billy Graham Evangelistic Association @ https://billygraham.org/; Open Doors https://www.opendoorsusa.org/ or her local church Overflow Fellowship @ http://overflowfellowship.org/.