Nancy Moore Eubank

1933 - 2024

Nancy Moore Eubank
12/16/1933 - 02/16/2024
Nancy Moore Eubank passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Friday, February 16, 2024. Nancy is survived by her loving husband of 68 years, J. Thomas Eubank and children John T. Eubank III and his wife Ingrid, Marshall M. Eubank and his fiancé Elizabeth Mills More, Stephen W. Eubank and his wife Kelley, and Laura E. Wexler and her husband Seth. Nancy is also survived by her 12 grandchildren: Ilona, Thomas, Scott, Elizabeth, Nancy, Luke, George, Claire, Helen, Benjamin, Alexander, and Juliana. Nancy is preceded in death by her parents Laurene Troutman Moore and John Lucien Moore.
Nancy was born on December 16, 1933 in Memphis, Tennessee. When she was three years old, her parents moved to Jacksonville, Florida where Nancy especially enjoyed the beaches and exploring nearby swamps and the St. Johns River with her friends. At a young age and at her father's suggestion, Nancy raised cocker spaniels, presented them at dog shows, and sold them to develop confidence and independence and to fund her college education. Nancy's beloved dog as a child was a fox terrier named Chica which Nancy later said was her favorite dog ever. Growing up during the Great Depression and World War II, Nancy learned the importance of savings and thrift, which she practiced throughout her life and conveyed to her children.
Nancy was a star at Jacksonville's Landon High School, where she was a National Honor Society member and held numerous student government positions, including vice president of her senior class, officer roles in school clubs and the yearbook. Nancy was also a cheerleader and a member of the homecoming court. Throughout her life, Nancy remained close with her high school friends and attended every class reunion except for one missed due to illness.
Following Nancy's graduation, her father's job moved to Houston and Nancy enrolled at Rice University (known as the "Rice Institute" at the time). Nancy lived all four years with her parents in Piney Point Village. Rice students said that Nancy lived in the "sticks" as she drove over ten miles on gravel roads to and from Rice every day, while most students lived on campus or nearby. Like high school, Nancy thrived at Rice and held numerous officer roles in student government and clubs and was the Queen of the annual Archi-Arts dance. Nancy graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1955 with a BA in Romance Languages and received the Rice Undergraduate Service Award. Following graduation, Nancy was an ardent supporter of Rice and kept up with her Rice friends. Nancy frequently served on class reunion committees and for decades served as the class reporter for the Rice alumni magazine where she submitted updates on alumni. In addition, Nancy served as a board member and twice as vice president for the Rice University Alumni Association and received the Rice Alumni Service Award.
During her senior year at Rice, Nancy went on a blind date with a newly licensed Baker & Botts attorney and Rice graduate named Tom Eubank. One year later, Nancy and Tom were married on February 10, 1956 at Chapelwood United Methodist Church. The two spent their honeymoon driving to San Francisco where Tom took a break from Baker & Botts to complete his military service at the Army's Presidio and Nancy worked at a shipping company. Nancy and Tom loved their time in San Francisco but decided to return to Houston at the end of Tom's service. Before setting up permanent residence in Houston, the two detoured to Mexico City where Tom worked at Baker & Botts' office and Nancy taught the office's attorneys English.
Before starting a family, Nancy worked in the Psychiatry Department of Baylor College of Medicine and later served as the Dean of Women at Rice University. Tom returned to Baker & Botts where he became a senior partner and attained national distinction as a probate and estate tax attorney. Tom readily acknowledges that his success was due to Nancy and her support and guidance.
Tom and Nancy built a home for their future family in Hedwig Village. In 1961, Nancy gave birth to her first child, John. Marshall followed in 1964, Stephen in 1968, and Laura in 1972. With the arrival of Laura, a larger house was needed, and the family moved to Bunker Hill Village. Nancy was devoted to her children and was an exceptional mother, always expending her time and energy for her children. Nancy was active in the children's schools and was always transporting the four to activities and sporting events. Nancy took her children on long driving vacations including an annual three-week summer stay at her parents' cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. Her children learned important life lessons from Nancy such as how she would treat everyone with friendliness, respect, and dignity, regardless of their station in life.
After Nancy's children left home, Nancy continued to volunteer and support numerous organizations, including the Houston Bar Auxiliary Association, Houston Museum of Art, Houston Symphony League, and Houston Grand Opera Guild. Nancy held positions on the boards of Rice's Fondren Library and Shepherd School of Music. Together, Tom and Nancy established the annual Eubank Conference on Real World Markets put on by Rice's Center for Computational Finance and Economic Systems. Nancy was very proud of her 16-year service as a citizen member of the Judicial Advisory Council of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice which oversaw the Texas adult probation system responsible for hundreds of thousands of probationers. Nancy's work included regular visits to prisons and jails, treatment facilities, and local criminal justice programs. Nancy's contributions were recognized by her receipt of the Texas Probation and Parole Association Service Award.
Taking a break from her volunteer activities, Nancy and Tom travelled frequently around the United States and to many international locations, with Nancy often accompanying Tom on hunting trips. Their destinations included China, Japan, New Zealand, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana. Nancy often remarked about how grateful she was for the worldwide adventures that she was able to experience with Tom. Nancy and Tom had season tickets to the Houston Symphony and Grand Opera for years and ate dinner together every night with lively discussions about everything from politics and current events to the latest activities of their children and grandchildren.
Nancy's 12 grandchildren were her pride and joy. Nancy devoted her later years to her grandchildren including frequently (if not daily) driving them to and from activities, always welcoming them to her house for the day or to spend the night, and taking them in for extended periods of time when their parents were ill or called out of town. Nancy regularly attended their sports games, plays, art exhibits, and other similar activities. Nancy was always concerned with her grandchildren's wellbeing and enriched their lives with valuable support and guidance.
Nancy lived a very active life including in her later years. Aside from time spent with her children and then grandchildren and volunteering, Nancy participated in group activities such as a bridge club and the Polly Painters art club and frequently attended social events. Nancy was always busy at home, with energy that seemed to never stop. Nancy was accomplished at needlepoint and cross stitch and gave each grandchild an embroidered celebration of their birth. Nancy tended to her plants and loved birdwatching, wildflowers (especially bluebonnets), and reading every day (especially her murder-mystery books). Up to the very end, Nancy regularly drove her car, shopped, transported her grandchildren to and from activities, and did all of the things she had always done. Just three weeks after her 90th birthday, Nancy went on a 10-day cruise of the Caribbean, travelling only with her Rice classmate. Nancy prized her independence and refused to slow down. She walked whenever possible and refused to apply for an accessibility parking placard for her car. When asked why she wasn't relaxing more at her age, Nancy explained that the only way to combat aging was to stay active.
A memorial service celebrating Nancy's life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8, 2024 in the Sanctuary of Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay Street, Houston, Texas 77024. Immediately following the service, all are invited to a reception in an adjoining hall at the church to meet with family and friends.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Nancy's name be made to Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay Street, Houston, TX 77024 or to the Leukemia Department of MD Anderson Cancer Center to fund research on leukemia and its cure. Online contributions to MD Anderson may made at http://mdacc.convio.net/goto/InMemoryOfNancyEubank. Mailed contributions may be sent to MD Anderson Cancer Center – Remember (fec23r), In Memory of Nancy Eubank, P.O. Box 4470, Houston, TX 77210. A Mail-In Donation Form is available for download at the website above.