Maxine Darsey Nelson

October 31, 1927 – February 14, 2021

Maxine Darsey Nelson was born October 31, 1927.  She was raised in Haughton, Louisiana.  She was a child during the Great Depression and World War II.  After the war she met and married James Nelson, who had been a WWII pilot in the Army Air Corp.  They were married for over 60 years at the time of his death in 2010.  Maxine had a career during a time when most women did not work outside the home.  Her last job was with Gulf/Chevron, where she retired after 30 years working as a manager in office services at the end of that term.  Many years ago, she was responsible for introducing word processing at Chevron and traveled to many offices training people on the new technology.  After her retirement, she wrote the Chevron retiree newsletter for 25 years for the Southwest region.  She got to know the retirees and wrote many stories about them and their families in the newsletter.  She was very active in the retiree association during that time and afterwards.  Maxine was a member of the First Baptist Church of Midland for over 60 years.  At the beginning of that time, for many years, she taught Sunday school for the 3-year-olds.  Later on, she was a member of the Dorcas Sunday school class for many years.  She and the ladies of the Dorcas class worshipped the Lord together and supported each other with life’s ups and downs.  Towards the end of her life, she lived in Polo Park Estates where she made many friends, as she did every place she went.  She wrote many books about her friends and neighbors at Polo Park, the church and elsewhere.  In addition to writing, Maxine was a talented quilter.  She made many baby quilts for friends and relatives over the years.

Maxine was preceded in death by her mother and father, Lura Dyson and Charles Darsey, her brother and sister in law, Charles and Mozelle Darsey, her husband, James Nelson, and her son, James (Jimmy) Nelson.  She is survived by her daughter and son in law, Nancy and Bryon Hilgendorf, her grandson, Andrew Gotcher, her granddaughter and her husband, Caroline and Chad Hoban, her great-grandson, Preston Hoban and her great-granddaughter, Ellie Hoban.

A funeral service will be held in the chapel at the First Baptist Church of Midland on Tuesday, February 23^rd at 11:00 AM, address:  2104 W Louisiana, Midland, TX 79701.  She will be laid to rest at Forest Park in Shreveport, LA,  Saturday, February 27^th at 11:00 AM.

Donations to the First Baptist Church of Midland’s David Department, are requested in lieu of flowers.

Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com.