Edna "Nell" Gee

Edna Vonnell Gee, “Nell” to her family and friends, 87, passed away on October 8, 2021, in Abilene, Texas. 

Visitation will be Thursday, October 14, from 9:00-10:00am at the Hillcrest Church of Christ Chapel, 650 E. Ambler, Abilene, with the funeral to follow at 10am. Burial will follow at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene at 11:00 am. Services are under the direction of The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road.

Nell – beloved wife, mother, Nana, sister, and aunt – was born in Quanah, Texas, to Thomas Edgar Crawley and Bertha Oleta Rowland Crawley on July 1, 1934.  She graduated from Quanah High School in 1951.  She worked as a teller at the bank there in Quanah, but soon moved to Wichita Falls to attend Draughn’s Business College.  Once she completed her studies there, she moved with her best friend, Pat, to Fort Worth to find work.  There she met the love of her life when stopping for gas at Floyd’s Humble Gas Station.  She married Floyd Gee on June 17th, 1956, in Quanah, Texas.  They were the first couple to be married in the new church building there.  Floyd soon decided to sell his gas station and attend college at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, and Nell worked in banks in Alpine and Odessa while he attended school.  He graduated with a degree in geology in 1961.  After Floyd began his work with Sperry Sun, International, they moved with his job to Mississippi, Nevada, England, and finally back to Houston.  Once back in Texas, Nell went to work at Ridgemont Elementary in the Fort Bend Independent School District, first in the cafeteria, then as a teacher’s aide.  At age 50, after much thought and contemplation, she decided to go to college to become a certified teacher.  She worked as a teacher’s aide through the next 10 years, attending classes at night, and she graduated in 1994 from Texas Southern University in Houston and then got her own classroom at Ridgemont Elementary.  In her time there, she taught every grade from Pre-K through 5th, but most enjoyed helping struggling students learn to read.  After retirement, Nell & Floyd moved to Abilene in 2002, to help with grandkids.  They attended Hillcrest church of Christ. 

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 60 years.

She is survived by her children, GayleAnn and Bud Turnage of Abilene, Stacy and Scot McTee of Tyler, Chip and Kim Gee of Celina; 9 grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren; one brother, Jack Crawley of Florissant, Missouri; one sister-in-law, Jan Bentsen of Tyler; two brothers-in law, Frank Gee of Sherman, Texas and David Gee of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; precious nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Brenda Lindsey, Wellness Director of Legacy Lane; Pam Bryan, of Hendrick Hospice Care; and the staff and wonderful caregivers of Wisteria Place Legacy Lane and Hendrick Hospice Care.