A funeral service for Nancy Criswell Abshire, 87, of Lake Village and formerly of Leland, will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in Greenville. After a period of illness, Nancy was called to her eternal home and into the loving arms of Christ our Lord on Sunday, April 6, 2025. The family will receive friends on Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. until the start of the service at 10:30 a.m.. Entombment will be at a later date at the Leland-Stoneville Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest beside her beloved Weston Abshire. Arrangements are under the direction of Boone Funeral Home, Leland.
Nancy was born on October 23, 1937, in Greenville, MS. She was the only child of Charles Edward Criswell and Luthermae Brewer Criswell (Williams). Nancy graduated high school at E.E. Bass in 1955 and remained close friends with her fellow classmates up until death. Many of whom may recall her love of fashion. She furthered her education with night classes at Moorhead. Nancy worked at Hodges A/C, where she learned to draw up house plans to lay duct work and even designed a house plan for her dream house. She later worked at DEMCO until becoming the office manager at Hager Hinge, where she retired at age 62. She enjoyed playing golf and many types of arts and crafts. In retirement, she owned and operated DeCajun’s Restaurant in Leland with her husband Red. Together, they created one-of-a-kind clocks along with candied pecans, which they sold at DeCajun’s Crafts all over the United States. When not on the road traveling, she enjoyed morning coffee with her pals at McDonald’s in Greenville and Lake Village. In 2018, Nancy moved to Lake Village to live with her daughter, Cristy, and son-in-law, Ernest Stone IV.
Nancy attended St. James Catholic Church in Leland with Red. She then became a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Greenville this past year, where she enjoyed the fellowship of her church friends. Nancy was always sharing her time and talents with others, either in the form of jewelry, handmade gift cards, home-cooked meals, or just a friendly word of encouragement. She loved sharing stories of her travels. She knew all the best places to visit in the U.S. She will always be remembered for her kindness toward others and her love of family and friends. Her final gift in this world was to help people she may not have even met by donating her organs/tissue.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Weston Joseph Abshire; her father, Charles Edward Criswell; her mother, Luthermae Brewer Criswell Williams; her paternal grandfather, John Jefferson Criswell; her paternal grandmother, Sarah Ann Bishop Criswell; her maternal grandfather, Luther David Brewer; and her maternal grandmother, Kathryn Bruce Brewer.
She is survived by her son, Edward Leroy Jackson of Lake Village, AR; daughter, Cristy Carole Stone of Lake Village, AR; step-daughters, Drusilla (Charlie) Fratesi of Ault, CO, Donna (Rick) Kelley of Lake Village, AR and Doretta Abshire of McPherson, KS; step-son, Tony (Bobbie Jo) Abshire of Lakeland, FL; many step-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren and her beloved pet, Peaches.
Memorials may be sent to St. James Episcopal Church, 1026 S. Washington Avenue, Greenville, MS 38701, or to St. James Catholic Church, 312 East Third Street, Leland, MS 38756.