Mary Alice Nation

Mary Alice Nation (December 10, 1935 – June 7, 2023) was called to be with her Lord. The first-born child of Letha and Spencer “Shorty” Russ in Vega, Texas, Mary was a pillar of her family and her church.

She married Roy Maxie Robertson on March 5, 1956, after her graduation from Vega High School. Roy graduated from Stinnett High School. Mary worked for Nunn Electric and Roy was a traveling salesman with West Texas Wholesale. Their first child, David Robertson, was born in 1957 and Debra was born in 1960. After several moves around the country, they landed back in Amarillo, where Roy passed away in December 1979.

She married Robert Ernest Nation on March 10, 1982, in Amarillo Texas. They met at a dance hall called the Caravan. It was his birthday. He asked her to dance and they danced the night away, staying out at Denny’s until four in the morning. When they married, the family grew to six as Bob had four boys from a previous marriage: Roger, Jim, Tim, and Toby. Together, they built the house they lived in for over twenty years.

Her family will dearly miss the smell of coffee, cigarettes, fried chicken, cinnamon rolls, and fried pies coming from her kitchen, where they used to gather once a year for the Oldham County Round Up. Everyone around her will miss her skill with the sewing machine, hemming, tailoring, and even sewing clothes and costumes for them, not to mention the countless quilts she gave away to her friends and family. Mary loved Jesus, Texas, dancing, quilting, and her family and friends. Thanks to her faith, we can only imagine how many people keep warm every night using the quilts and baby Christmas stockings produced for donation by the Sewing Group she led at Hillcrest Baptist Church.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Letha and Shorty Russ, two husbands: Roy Maxie Robertson and Bob Nation, her brother William Russ, sister Fran Taylor, son David Robertson, and stepsons Jim, Toby, and Roger Nation. Those surviving her include her sister Jane Carroll, daughter Debra Robertson, son-in-law Jim Driver, grandsons Seth and Jerry Goldfarb, great-grandson Fox Bernard, and a number of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, stepsons, step-grandchildren, and step-great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home prior to the service at 1:00 p.m.  Services will be at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, June 15, 2023, in Boxwell Brothers Ivy Chapel, 2800 Paramount Blvd.  Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors.

Though Mary loved Texas Roses, she wouldn’t want you to waste your money on flowers. She would want you to roll up your sleeves and work hard to take care of yourself. If you want to do something nice for her, please find a way to do something extra nice for you.