Last Saturday, several hundred friends and relatives gathered in Nara Visa to honor Tink Ward Nixon who had passed away on Feb. 3.
As I looked around the auditorium at all those people, I noted that Tink had helped many of them during such sad times and during all sorts of emergencies. She was always on hand to help anyone in need and was willing to give all she had to see that others were safe. She had touched the lives of all of those gathered there and also many more who were unable to attend.

She, as had her parents, “lived in a house by the side of the road and was a friend to man.”  No matter where she went, she made friends, and no matter who came to her door, she held out her hand in friendship.

People just automatically turned to her when they needed help of any kind. They also turned to her when they just wanted to be around a friend and to have a good time. Her laughter made each of us feel the joy she spread, and her love made us aware of just how precious she was.
Despite the many problems she had during her life, she rarely complained nor did she back away from them.

She just faced them head on and seldom asked for any help herself. She was a major example for each of us who knew and loved her. To me, she was very important because she reminded me so much of our Grandmother Moncus, not only in her looks but also in her actions.

They both cared very much for the people around them and were always eager to make new friends. Just watching small children rush to Tink to be picked up and loved always reminded me of Grandmother because the little children loved her on sight and trusted her implicitly. They both had that special gift of making others of all ages feel comfortable in their presence. They both loved life and laughter and most definitely lived their religion.

Tink was a very active young person and continued that liveliness a long way into her life. She participated in sports as often as possible and carried that participation over into line dancing after she moved to town.

She was always in a hurry wherever she went and was often seen to be running to her destination. While the funeral services were under way, a couple of trains went by and whistled at the crossing. I could see Tink dashing from the post office to the depot to hang the mail bag to be picked up by the trainmen and to receive the mail bag dropped off by them. She might seem to wait until the last minute, but she was never late while doing that chore.

Because she was a very modest person, I could almost hear her asking why so many people were gathered to honor her. They should have been going on about their business or honoring someone else. She would have shown great embarrassment had she faced that crowd, but she would have been so proud inwardly to realize how many people had come to bid her farewell. She would have cried along with us as we listened to the music and especially as we listened to the beautiful comments made by her son, Mark.

She would have laughed at some of the pictures her granddaughter, Nikki, had provided and would have enjoyed feasting after the services while recalling how many such meals she had helped to prepare.

This woman from Ima was most privileged to have that woman from Nara Visa as a very special cousin!