Nelwyn Barnard Moore

1930 - 2025

Nelwyn Barnard Moore, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother passed peacefully in her home of 61 years on October 13, 2025 at the age of 95 surrounded by her beloved family and loving caregivers. She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence Green Barnard and Lenora Carter Barnard, and her husband of 63 years, Jerry Lloyd Moore. She is survived by her two children, Jerry Lloyd Moore Jr (Jay) and Amy Moore Meeks, her granddaughter Madeleine Meeks Munden and husband Marshall Peyton Munden, and grandson Charles Maxmilian Meeks and two great grandchildren, Townes Evalee Munden and Elizabeth Payton Munden.

Nelwyn was born April 14,1930 in Smackover Arkansas and lived her childhood from age 3 to 17 in Tuleta, Texas. After High School graduation in 1947, she attended Southwest Texas State Teacher's College in San Marcos where she met her future husband, Jerry Lloyd Moore, a returning WWII veteran, who was her swimming instructor in her first summer class.

While dating, Nelwyn and Jerry would often take Sunday walks hand-in-hand down Belvin Street where they imagined living in the "Hansel and Gretel" stone house which became their family home in 1964 for the rest of their lives.

They were married June17, 1950 and lived at Riverside, the college housing for married students, while Nelwyn finished her undergraduate studies and Jerry his MBA. In 1951, Nelwyn and Jerry's first teaching jobs were in Kerrville, Texas where she taught Home Economics at Tivy High School and Jerry served as the Jr. High school principal.

In 1954 they welcomed their son, Jay, in Kerrville and Nelwyn began devoting herself to being a wife and mother for the next nine years welcoming Amy their daughter in Blanco in 1958. Nelwyn frequently remarked that these were the happiest years of her life, as being a mother was her highest honor and greatest love. After living in Kerrville, Blanco, and San Antonio the family returned to San Marcos in 1960 enjoying their first few years at the San Marcos Baptist Academy where many lifelong friendships began.

Nelwyn started her 38-year university teaching career in 1963 at Southwest Texas State University in the department of Home Economics, now known as Family and Consumer Sciences. She earned her M. Ed. in Counseling and Guidance at Southwest Texas and her PhD in Family Studies and Counseling at The University of Texas Austin in 1973. She also completed her Post Doctoral Studies in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Texas. Nelwyn taught as a tenured full professor for the reminder of her 38-year career, retiring in 2000.

Nelwyn enjoyed numerous professional opportunities outside of teaching which included being a co-author of college-level marriage and family textbooks as well as anthologies of human sexuality. Nelwyn was also certified as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Certified Family Life Educator. Although these accomplishments are noteworthy, it was always her classroom teaching experiences, and the student relationships developed through the years, which she said were her most treasured professional experiences.

As a professor, she enjoyed researching and publishing in professional journals in multiple areas including: cross-cultural family life education; family and interpersonal relationships; teen pregnancy and parenting programs; adoption attitudes of unmarried pregnant teens; and a three-decade study of sexual attitudes and behavior of college women and men. She co-authored with J. K. Davidson two college texts: Marriage and Family (1992) and Marriage and Family: Change and Continuity (1996) and three anthologies: Cultural Diversity and Families (1992), and Speaking of Sexuality: Interdisciplinary Readings (2001, 2005, 2010). Her research archive resides at the Kinsey Institute.

Nelwyn was active in professional organizations on the state and national level as well.. She served as the national president of both National Council on Family Relations and the academic honor society Phi U. She also served as state president of the Texas Council on Family Relations. Nelwyn received the honor of Distinguished Alumna from Texas State University in 2005. She and her husband Jerry were the first married couple to be honored independently in separate years as Distinguished Alumni of Texas State University, due to their individual accomplishments in their respective fields.

After retiring from teaching in May 2000, Nelwyn continued an active research and writing agenda until 2010. Once her research and writing concluded, her primary focus again became that of wife, mother, and grandmother, and much later in life, great grandmother to Townes and Elle.

Nelwyn lived her life each day generously offering kind and positive thoughts of encouragement and wise insight to those she knew. Her beauty, love of fashion, gracious manners and elegantly respectful ways complimented her strong intellect, genuine curiosity and lightheartedness. She freely shared her heartfelt wisdom in quiet ways with insightful words which gave strength and happiness to those around her, reflecting her deep sense of purpose for her life. Naturally curious, her heart and mind were always open to learning and sharing her love and life's wisdom. Her legacy is the life that she lived, the lives that she touched, and the incredible sense of warmth, elegance, and grace which she embodied each day.

The family will receive visitors Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 5:30-7:00pm at First United Methodist Church, 129 W. Hutchison St., San Marcos, Texas. Services are Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 11:00am also at First United Methodist Church. She will be laid to rest next to her husband at San Marcos City Cemetery, and a reception will follow at the historic cemetery Chapel.

Memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church in San Marcos or Texas State University Development Fund. April 14, 1930 - October 13, 2025