Fay Janice Wiener Nelson was born on November 2, 1940, to Adrian and Nora Wiener. Fay was one of five children and grew up on the east side of Houston.

Fay is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, LJ Nelson, Jr.; her parents; her brothers, Vernon Robert Wiener; and her sister, Jaunice Wilson.

Fay is survived by her children Layne (Kerri) Nelson and Lynette (Keith) French; her five grandchildren, Zachary (Sarah) French, Brandon Nelson, Brittany (Drew) Barham, Rachel (Joseph) Coyne, and Bryce Nelson; her three great-grandchildren, Emma French, Hudson Barham, and William Coyne; her youngest brother Gary (Kathy) Wiener; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Although Fay's childhood was not the best, she was blessed with two faithful parents who made sure that Fay and her siblings all had food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over their head. Fay's family did not attend church often, so a friend of hers invited Fay to come to a revival that was being held at her church. On Monday, May 23, 1955, Fay, a typical 14-year girl, decided to go with her friend to the revival for one reason only: to see if there were any cute boys there. During the service, the Holy Spirit began ministering to Fay's heart and she accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. As happy and as at peace Fay was, the Lord was not finished with her yet that night. He had Fay cross paths with a handsome young man named LJ Nelson, Jr. It wasn't love at first sight. However, during the next 15 months, Fay and LJ continued to grow in love with God and each other. They spent countless hours in church and participating in the church's youth group. On August 10, 1956, at the ages of 15 and 19, Fay and LJ tied the knot.

While LJ was at work, Fay was a busy housewife who made sure her house was clean and her husband fed. When Fay knew that LJ was on his way home from work, she always made sure that she was dressed, her hair fixed, and her make up on. Fay would also have LJ's supper on the table ready for him when he walked through the door. Throughout their marriage, Fay and LJ held numerous positions in the Assembly of God Church. They also enjoyed traveling both domestically and internationally. One of their favorite places to go was Branson, Missouri. After LJ retired, they both became very active in the Prime Timers and Nickel-A-Cup groups. Fay and LJ developed strong friendships in these groups and greatly appreciated being a part of this community in the church. Fay, always wanting to help and serve others, volunteered to help decorate and get the food ready for their luncheons. Of course, Fay would bake one of her famous desserts like chocolate pies, sugar cookies topped with nuts and coconut, chocolate oatmeal cookies, banana bread, peach cobbler, etc. Fay's chocolate pies would be one of the first desserts gone at the luncheons. Many people asked Fay for her recipe. She didn't mind giving them the recipe, but it was hard for her to write it down because she just went by the way it looked and felt.

In 2014, LJ was diagnosed with dementia/early Alzheimer's. Fay, the ever-loving and devoted wife, did everything she could to take care of him. When it became evident that LJ would have to go to a nursing home, Fay did not stop being the dedicated wife. She went to the nursing home every day (until the doctor told her to take days off for her own health), took LJ his favorite milkshake, and stayed with him throughout the day. Since Fay was so outgoing and loved to meet people and learn about their lives, she made many new friends at the nursing home. She would pray with them and even made some crochet scarfs for several ladies. Fay made sure that LJ was being well taken care of at the nursing home. If this was not the case, Fay would give the nursing home staff a piece of her mind until LJ received the correct care. On LJ's last day here on earth, he was unresponsive. This did not deter Fay from spending the day with him. She sat next to his bed all day, holding his hand, and reminiscing about all the wonderful times they had over their marriage. She was asleep in the bed next to him when he was promoted to Heaven. From August 10, 1956, to March 6, 2015, Fay and LJ were inseparable.

A Love Letter from Fay to LJ on 4/20/99

Dear LJ,

I just wanted to tell you how much I love you (I think you should know already). Where have all the years gone? It seems like yesterday I met this young man with the cool duck tail. God has been so good to us through all the bad times, as well as the good ones. I'm so glad our love has been real, not phony like some couples I see. Thank you for loving me as I love you. I can't wait for vacation (our honeymoon) in 10 more days. Thank you for the lovely home and beautiful car.

Remember, I'll always love you till the day I die… It still makes my heart beat a little faster when you come home from work and my stomach still gets butterflies when I see you.

Love forever,

Fay

As much in love as Fay and LJ were, they wanted children to complete their family. After 8 years of marriage, their son Layne Nelson was born and 4 years later, their daughter, Lynette French, was born. Fay was a wonderful, loving, dedicated mother. When Layne and Lynette were of school age, Fay became active as Room Mom, chaperone on field trips, a member and officer of the PTA, etc. Fay stayed involved in school activities until Layne and Lynette graduated. She was always there to take and pick them up, fix their lunches, and attend school events. When Layne and Lynette were in high school, they could walk home for lunch since the school was very close to their house. Fay would have their lunch ready and would even fix lunch for any of their friends who came. Fay loved having people in her house and serving them. Fay never stopped being a mom. She was fiercely independent and never wanted to be a burden to anyone especially her children. The last 5 months of Fay's life were very hard on her. She realized that she could not independently take care of herself and needed to rely on Layne and Lynette. As her health continued to deteriorate, she saw how stressful it was becoming to her children. Although she never wanted to leave her house and live anywhere else, she agreed to move into a nursing facility to take the load off Layne and Lynette. Fay was always putting other people's needs before her own. Fay was one of the most selfless people you will ever meet. As she was about to leave her house for the last night, she asked Lynette to hold her hand because she wanted to pray. Lynette thought that Fay was going to pray over her and Layne as Fay always did, but that's not what Fay wanted to pray about. She prayed protection over her house, thanking the Lord for giving this house to her and LJ, and being such a strong presence in the house. Fay also prayed for whoever the new homeowners will be and that they will also feel the Lord's presence in the house.

After Fay got settled in at the nursing facility, Layne, Lynette, and Kerri (Layne's wife) were able to visit with her, pray with her, hug her, and tell her they loved her before they left. Little did they know that would be the last time they saw her alive. Fay, always a mom up to the very end, called Lynette that night to make sure that she got home safely, locked the doors, and set the alarm. Knowing that her children were safe gave Fay great peace. A few short hours later, Fay was promoted to glory land.

A letter from Fay to Layne Lynette on 9/12/16

My precious children, Layne Net,

There is no way I can express my love for you, but you are parents and only parents can feel that special love. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me. You have shown your love for me in so many ways. From the day you were born, I have felt your love and I know you can feel my love. I have been so proud of you and your families and will always be. God has blessed me with the most wonderful children any mother could ask for.

Thank you. I will always love you. May God bless keep you in the palm of His hand.

Love forever and ever,

Mom

Fay also dearly loved her 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. She was very excited that another great grandchild is on the way. Fay enjoyed spoiling her grandchildren and giving them gifts especially when they were young. Fay made sure to spend the same dollar amount and get the same number of gifts for each grandchild. She would specially wrap the gifts, make bows, and then hot glue the bows on the package. Even though in her later years when she could not give as much as she wanted to each grandchild, Fay would still make sure that the gifts were equal. Instead of putting money in an envelope or card, she would wrap the money in tissue paper, put it in a pretty box, and wrap it with her homemade hot glued bow. She wanted to make sure that the grandchildren had something to unwrap. Fay and LJ would also go to as many of the grandchildren's sporting, school, and church events as possible. Fay would periodically call or email the grandchildren to tell them how much she loved them, that she was praying for them, and was very proud of them. Fay was so proud of her family that she would tell anyone anywhere about them and their accomplishments.

As much love as Fay had for her family, including her brother Gary and other extended family members, her first true and greatest love was for our Heavenly Father and His Word. Although Fay's natural tendencies were to worry about things and people, she knew if she would cast these cares over to God, He would make sure that everything was alright. Fay always gave God the glory. She knew that if it had not been for God drawing her to that revival back in 1955, her life would have turned out very differently in a bad way. Fay was eternally grateful to God for loving her so much and calling her His daughter. Fay loved to tell anyone about how good God is and how He has blessed her. Even though Fay suffered with many different illnesses and pain over many years, she never blamed God. Instead, she always thanked Him for bringing her through each health situation. Fay knew that if God had not healed her so many times in the past, she would have died a long time ago. Each day, Fay would spend time praying and reading the Bible. Her two favorite passages of scripture were Psalm 23 and Psalm 91.

Fay was truly a person that loved God, loved people, and lived with purpose. God blessed her with the gift to make people feel special and loved. She genuinely enjoyed talking to people and getting to know their stories. Fay would strike up conversations with anyone, anywhere. For example, in restaurants, grocery stores, doctors' offices, and hospitals. Even if Fay was not feeling well, she would still smile at people and somehow end up encouraging them and providing them with love and hope. Throughout the conversation, Fay would almost always mention God and tell that person that she would be praying for them. And Fay did pray for them. Over the years, Layne and Lynette have heard many people tell them how much Fay helped them by being so kind and loving. Fay made the day special for many people over her life just by emulating God's love to this hurting world. Even her doctors talked about how special she was. Fay's long-time cardiologist, Dr. Ganim, personally called Lynette to give his condolences and tell how much he loved Fay and how special she was to him.

Not only did Fay show the love of God by smiling and taking an interest in people, but she also spent countless hours praying over her family, friends, and anyone that she knew had a need. She was a mighty prayer warrior. Fay was always willing to pray at any moment because she knew that the only source to meeting our needs was God. On her desk, Fay had her Bible opened and a picture of Bryce (Layne's youngest child who is a Senior at Texas A M)) laid on top. Fay was symbolically putting Bryce on the foundation of the Word and using his picture as a reminder to pray over him each day. Layne would call Fay when he was getting ready to speak in front of a business group. Fay would pray over Layne at exactly the time he was speaking. One time, Lynette called Fay to pray for her daughter, Rachel, who was going through a very difficult time. Fay stayed up all night praying until she felt peace and a breakthrough over the situation.

Fay was also very generous. She loved to give things to people to help brighten their day. Sometimes, Fay would sacrifice her own needs to bless someone with a gift. Her generosity included more than material goods. Fay would gather up all the strength she had to make a special dish for special occasions. Last Thanksgiving, at the beginning of Fay's declining health, she made her traditional dishes to take to Lynette's house even though she was struggling to breathe due to the leaky valve in her heart. She refused to let her family know how sick she was because she didn't want to disappoint them or miss seeing them. Fay ended up having to go the ER and being admitted into the hospital the next day.

Fay was a strong, independent, and determined warrior. She suffered through many years of pain and illnesses because she never wanted to be a burden on anyone. Fay fought long and hard the good fight, finished her race, and kept the faith.

There is no doubt that when Fay met our loving Savior, He greeted her with "Well done good and faithful servant."

If Fay were able to speak to us today, she would say, "My precious loved ones, do not be sad. I am happy, alive, and well. I am free! Please take good care of yourselves. Make sure your hearts are right with the Lord. Tell your loved ones how much you love them every day. And be the salt and light God created you to be to this dying, hurting world. This is not goodbye. I will see y'all of you soon. I love you!"

Visitation will be on Wednesday, April 26th from 9:30 am - 10:30 am with the funeral following at 10:30 am. Both the visitation and the funeral will be held at Humble First Assembly of God Church at 1915 FM 1960 Bypass, Humble, TX 77338.

The graveside service will take place that afternoon at 2:00 pm at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery located at 6900 Lawndale St., Houston, TX 77023, 29