Lucille Nance Jones

(November 20, 1904 - December 1, 1977)

Bessie Lucille Parker was born in Arkansas to Thomas M. Parker and Jessie (Lay) Parker. The family moved to Texas and in 1924, Lucille married George E. Nance (1896-1954), a Hallettsville native. Lucille and George settled in the Canyon area and established the Nance Hereford Ranch. By 1925, the ranch covered 6,000 acres and primarily dealt in cattle. Through the 1940s and 1950s, the Nance Ranch produced champion cattle and was nationally known as a leading purebred Hereford breeder.

After George died, Lucille operated the ranch, but eventually she leased the land to others. In 1956, she married investment banker Lovell Leslie Jones (1899-1982). They decided to move into town and build a house in 1963, working closely with architect Norris E. Root, II, to retain their extensive antique collection. Each room was designed to accommodate specific furnishings. Lucille Nance Jones collected rococo-style items and art as she traveled around the world on vacations and to various livestock shows.

Later in life, Lucille began to donate items to various museums and institutions, including many art pieces, antiques and a bronze longhorn steer to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. In 1970, she donated more than 2,000 acres, including the headquarters of The Nance Ranch, to West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University) to be used for agricultural education. After her death, she was laid to rest in Dreamland Cemetery outside Canyon next to her first husband George Nance. Through her influence as a rancher, businesswoman and art collector. Lucille Nance Jones established a lasting legacy in West Texas. (2020)