The Rev. William D. Nix Jr., who worked as a cattle rancher before his ordination and returned to it in retirement, died October 4 at 82. Nix was a native of Amarillo, Texas. He was a graduate of Texas A&M University and Seminary of the Southwest.
As reported by Katie Sherrod of the North Region of the Diocese of Texas, Nix had attended one semester at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in the 1960s, but he returned to Texas to serve in the U.S. Army as an Adjutant General’s Corps Officer from 1964 to 1966. Then he worked as a fourth-generation cattle rancher on his family’s property.
He was ordained deacon in 1975 and priest in 1976. He served at multiple parishes in Texas, including as dean and rector of All Saints’ Cathedral, Fort Worth, and head of All Saints’ Episcopal School from 1986 to 1992. He served as canon to the ordinary of Northwest Texas from 1981 to 1986, during the tenure of Bishop Sam B. Hulsey.
Nix is survived by his wife, Puddin; two sons; a daughter; and four grandchildren.
In September 2012, in the newsletter of the Diocese of Northwest Texas, he discussed his return to cattle ranching, which he called his day job: “Puddin and I moved back to the family ranch in Hemphill County (near Canadian, Texas), where I operate cow-calf and stocker operations. Instead of being a retired priest, I consider myself a non-stipendiary priest who makes his living as a rancher.”
In an article for Landscapes magazine in 2016, Nix talked about how he learned in his childhood not to complain about tough times on the family ranch.
“If I complained, Dad would just tell me to go read the letter that my great-uncle wrote in 1934,” he said. The letter, also written by his great-grandmother, described very tough times during the Depression. They pleaded their case for borrowing an extra $100 a month to operate their 12,000-acre ranch, plus 3,000 acres belonging to relatives, and care for 1,400 head of cattle.
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The Rev. Robert Snow, a deacon who served people in the Dominican Republic and the Diocese of Nebraska, died October 2 at 80.
Snow was a native of Great Falls, Montana. He was a graduate of the University of Nebraska and was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1985. He first served with SAMS (formerly the South American Missionary Society), which sent him to the Dominican Republic with his wife, Ellen.
While attending the university, Snow was a student assistant at Nebraska Educational Television. Upon graduation he went to work for Nebraskaland magazine as senior associate editor. He later was public relations director for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.
As a deacon, Snow was a part-time assistant at St. Matthew’s Church, Lincoln; a chaplain at the maximum-custody Diagnostic and Evaluation Center; and a volunteer police and fire chaplain. The Snows worked in the Dominican Republic for 16 years, including his serving as an assistant to the bishop.
The Snows were presenters for Episcopal Marriage Encounter, including Marriage Encounter for the Deaf, and presenters for Episcopal Happening weekends in Nebraska and the Dominican Republic. He also was a presenter for spiritual retreats sponsored by Prison Fellowship, the international ministry founded by Chuck Colson.
In addition to his wife, Show is survived by four brothers; two daughters; five grandchildren; and multiple foster children.
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The Rev. Dr. Sonia E. Waters, an Episcopal priest and professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, died September 22 at 51.
Waters was born in Cuckfield, West Sussex, Britain, and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 2. She minored in gender studies as an undergraduate at Wheaton College in Illinois. She also was a graduate of General Theological Seminary, and earned a Ph.D. in pastoral theology from Princeton.
She was ordained deacon in 2005 and priest in 2006, and married the Rev. John A. Mennell in 2008. Mennell is rector of St. Luke’s Church in Montclair, New Jersey.
She served as a priest at Grace Church, Brooklyn Heights, New York; Christ Church, Budd Lake, New Jersey; and Trinity Church, Princeton. She focused much of her ministry on feminist advocacy, including the prevention of violence against women and serving as a crisis counselor and shelter advocate. She was a member of the Society of Scholar-Priests and served on the Diocese of New Jersey’s Mental Health Task Force.
She joined the Princeton Theological Seminary’s faculty in 2014 as associate professor of pastoral theology. Her book Addiction and Pastoral Care (Eerdmans, 2019), is used widely in addiction studies.
A summary of the book on Amazon.com said that Waters “uses the story of the Gerasene demoniac in Mark’s Gospel to reframe addiction as a ‘soul sickness’ that arises from a legion of individual and social vulnerabilities. She includes pastoral reflections on oppression, the War on Drugs, trauma, guilt, discipleship, and identity.”
An obituary by her family said that Waters “approached each person she met with what she called ‘holy curiosity.’ Recognizing the sanctity of each person’s life, she loved people into being better people. She lived her own life in faithful obedience to God. In her last season, she talked, taught, and preached about her illness and impending death with raw honesty, courage, and the kind of faith in Christ to which we can all aspire.” In addition to Mennell, Waters is survived by her parents, a brother, and three stepchildren.
In a final letter to her colleagues, Waters wrote: “I pray you choose joy. Anything else is a waste of time.”
Other Deaths
