Ora Nell Walker

Ora Nell Deets was born April 2, 1931 in a house on Buckingham Rd in Garland, Texas.

She grew up in Garland, Rose Hill and Mesquite. She worked on the farm picking cotton

on the spot where North Garland High School now sits. She was the protector of her two younger brothers Loyd and Coy, or at least that is her version of the story. She attended Garland High School until she had to quit to take care of her sick mother. In 1950, she met and married World War II veteran Clifford Edward Combs in Garland. Their sons John and David were born in 1951 and 1952 and were the joy of her life.

Nell, as she preferred to be called, worked for RCA in the 1960s. She brought home every Elvis album and many other recordings by popular artists of the time. That exposure to good music helped to instill in John a love for "The King."

On November 22, 1963, she was standing on a street corner in downtown Dallas, waving at President John and Jacqueline Kennedy as they cruised in the open car through downtown Dallas. Moments later, fatal shots were fired.

Nell worked for Sears on Ross as an accounting clerk for almost 30 years. She met Robert Walker in 1980 and after a courtship filled with dancing at the Longhorn Ballroom, fishing and boating on Cedar Creek Lake, they married in1982.

Nell and Robert were very active at First Baptist Mabank. She led the Triple L Club (Living Long and Loving) at FBM which was very dear to her heart.

Nell had several passions. One was genealogy. In the 1980s, Nell and Robert drove through several states researching their ancestors.They visited cemeteries and public libraries across the South. On one trip, Robert got lost in the woods trying to find a cemetery. She had to honk the horn so Robert could find his way back through the thickets. While they enjoyed traveling, they were impatient with the driving. They once drove from Buffalo, New York to Mabank (that's 1350 miles) stopping only for a two hour nap at a roadside park.

Nell has deep roots in Garland. She is the great granddaughter of Nicholas Featherstone Pace, whose nephew John Henry Pace was the original owner of the Historic Pace House on 11th Avenue in Garland. When Nell and Robert joined FBCG in 2012, they were following in the footsteps of her ancestors who were members in the early 1900s.

Nell also had a real love for the DAR, Daughters of the American Revolution. When she led Henderson County as the Regent, she organized history programs and scholarships for the local high school and led members to develop rotating historical displays for the Mabank Library. She attended and presided over meetings and attended many state conventions.

Her patriotism also included more recent history. She discovered that one of her uncles had died in the Pacific during WW 2 after his ship was torpedoed, but he never had a funeral. Nell contacted the Army, the DFW National Cemetery and The Patriot Guard. A ceremony complete with a three gun salute and a special resting place was the result of Nell's hard work.

In 2010 she suffered a golf ball sized brain tumor in the middle of her brain. She was convinced she would die on the operating table. After John met with the surgeon he told Nell, this guy knows what he is doing, you will survive. After the operation John heard her cuss for the first time as the anesthesia was wearing off. The operation was a complete success.

In 2010, Robert became very ill and Nell took care of him until he died in 2013. Nell lived in a retirement apartment until July 2024 when she fell twice. She lived at Mayberry Gardens Assisted Living until her passing January 11, 2026.

Special thanks to the staff at Mayberry Gardens for the loving care they gave to Nell. The family will forever be grateful.

Nell loved peanut M&M's. Please take some M&M"s home with you.

She is survived by her son John Combs and wife Beverly and son David Combs, granddaughters Emily and Jennifer Combs, and sister-in-law Bonnie Deets of Wylie and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers,donations may be made to the First Baptist Church Ukrainian Refugee Ministry. fbcgarland.org/giving click Give Now/Other/ Click on Fund and then Type Ukrainian Refugee Ministry

Or send checks to FBCG Ukrainian Refugee Ministry, , 801 W Avenue D, Garland, Texas 75040.

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