Billy Ed Nance was born August 28, 1937, and passed away on Wednesday, October 22, 2014. Billy Ed was born and raised in Sanger, Texas, where he met his future wife, Jane Crider in 1951. He was a proud graduate of the class of 1955 of Sanger high and married his high school sweetheart in 1956. He received a Master's degree from North Texas State University.
His coaching career took him all over Texas. He coached in Prosper, Itasca, Sanger, and Rosenberg. He was also the first superintendent of schools in Little Elm, Texas, and then moved his family to Austin to finish out his career at the Texas Education Agency as director of the Parenting Education Program. After retirement he returned to the Nance Family Farm in Sanger where he organized a yearly fish fry and was an active member of the "Class of '55". He was a devoted, son, husband, father, grandfather, son-in-law, friend, and coach.
A visitation is scheduled for Friday, October 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Coker Funeral Home in Sanger. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, 2014, at the First United Methodist Church in Sanger with Rev. Jimmy Odom and Larry Rathbun conducting the services. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be his classmates, Edwin Ashcraft, Henry Carr, Paula Sue Cross Gibson, Larry Hampton, Donald Harper, Bunny Thomas McWhorter, Joy Parker Moore, Billy Bert Mundy, Neal Odom, Barbara Patton Harberson, Oscar Shelton, Turner Voss, and Coach John "Bud" Campbell, from the "Class of '55".
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Harper and Ethel Lee (Rogers) Nance, and his father and mother-in-law, Ernest and Lillian Crider. Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jane, of Sanger; two daughters, Bobby Gideon of Robinson, Texas, and Tracy Palombi and husband, Vince of Austin, Texas; a brother-in-law, Richard Crider and wife, Carolyn of Granbury; four grandchildren, Amy Thomas of Waco, Greg Gideon of Sanger, Faith Palombi and Vince Palombi, both of Austin; three great-grandchildren, Mya Thomas and Matthew Thomas both of Waco, and Callie Miller of Sanger.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorials be made to the Sanger Education Foundation, P.O. Box 429, Sanger, Texas 76266.
Coker Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements and online condolences may be made to www.cokerfuneralhome.com .
