Nancy Ramsey Matthews, 78, of Tyler, Texas, went Home to be with her Savior at 12:17 a.m. on Saturday, September 5, 2026, with her daughter holding her hand. She was born on October 29, 1947, to John Jacob Ramsey and Nancy Presley Delaney Ramsey.

Nancy was kind, thoughtful, encouraging, full of life, and she loved Jesus with a passion. Jesus was her Best Friend, and God was her Daddy. During the final years of her life, her family had the privilege of watching her relationship with the Lord grow deeper and deeper.

To her four children she was Momma. She loved unconditionally, saw the best in those she loved, believed in them, encouraged them, and prayed fiercely for them. If you needed prayer, Nancy was the person you wanted to pray for you. As her daughter Wendi says, “My Momma prayed with a vengeance.”

Nancy was also the very best Gigi. She loved her 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, including two precious great grandbabies who were still on their way when she went Home. Everyone who knew Nancy very long knew she was a die-hard Texas Rangers fan. She shared an especially sweet bond with her grandsons, Jace and Jaxon, through Rangers baseball, and the three of them kept a group text devoted to the season, players, standings, trades, and everything Rangers.

Her family extended far beyond those who shared her blood. She had a way of creating family wherever she went, becoming a stand-in grandmother to those who needed one, and her neighbors became family. Through circumstances no one would ever have chosen, God used Nancy to bring her four children back together after more than 20 years of never all being in the same place. Amid tremendous loss came unexpected healing.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, John Jacob Ramsey and Nancy Presley Delaney Ramsey, and her husband, Allen Richard Matthews.

She leaves behind Gene Collins, her loving partner and an important part of her life for the past four years; her brother, Tommy Ramsey; and her four children and their families:

Wendi Leigh Rees and husband Jim Rees and their children:

Jace Christian Rees, Jaxon Conner Rees, Jenna Leigh Rees, and Jessa Lyn Rees

Brandon Scott Smith and wife Kim Smith and their children:

Callie Nicole Smith; Carson Thomas Smith and wife Hannah Smith; Camryn Leigh Cheek and husband Blake Cheek; Caitlyn Marie Black and husband Kelby Black

Lance Christian Smith and wife Angie Smith and their children:

Dax Christian Smith and Charlee Maren Smith

Summer Lyn Smith and her son:

Peyton Thomas Pace

Great-grandchildren

Isla Jane Smith, Eden Wren Smith, Elliot Abbot Cheek, and Esther Marie Cheek, with Eleanor Nancy Cheek and Henry Thomas Black on the way

A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Central Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, with a reception immediately following the service.

Those who love Nancy will forever feel the space she leaves behind. But because of Jesus, this is not goodbye. It is simply, “I’ll see you again.” Her faith has become sight. She has seen the face of Jesus, and she is Home.