Nina Laverne Hansen's Obituary
Nina Laverne Thompson was born in Farmersville, TX on December 17, 1927 to Charles and Audalee Thompson. She would fondly tell the story of her premature birth and near death. She was born in her parent’s bed at a whopping 2 lbs. In those days, her chances of survival were slim under those circumstances. She always said she never would have survived without her Aunt’s persistence in finding a cow on the family farm that had milk she could tolerate, and making her a coddling bed in a small shoebox.Nina loved to laugh and loved her friends. She had a reputation in high school as a “fun-loving” prankster. She was a Daddy’s girl and enjoyed hanging around her father’s Model T dealership in downtown Farmersville, TX. She would readily admit he spoiled her, but he also taught her many life lessons in responsibility and fortitude. His example and expectations of her became a foundation in her life’s journey. Although the family lived through the troubling years of the Great Depression, her hard-working father made sure the family maintained their standard of living. Over the years, they assisted many friends and family members to help them get on their feet. Nina proudly remembered one of them being Audie Murphy, whom her dad found sleeping in a train car in her hometown. She said that those experiences taught her to “always save money for a rainy day!”Nina married John Watson Coleman in 1947 after he served in the Navy during the Korean War. They had many years of fun and work-related travels. They built a house on the GI Bill in Garland, TX. They considered their niece to be their unofficially “adopted first child.” Sharon brought them so much joy, fun and laughter. She loved to ride her horse around their backyard, eat watermelon, and spend time with her favorite Aunt that she fondly referred to as “Boonie.” A few years later, God blessed them with two girls, Debra and Liz. The three girls and their families have grown up together over the years and continued those traditions.Nina loved her beautiful little home on Sussex Dr. in Garland, TX, and was fortunate to raise her two children and reside there for 60 years. Nina felt her greatest accomplishments in this life were: having her children, receiving her license to be a “Beauty Operator,” and having a home and car paid for by an early age for retirement. She absolutely enjoyed her many years working as a hair dresser. She often gave us career advice by saying “you can do anything you put your mind to; BUT do something you love that makes you look forward to heading out that door every day.” Her parting words each morning were “have a happy day!”Nina embraced life and took in all it had to offer. She enjoyed the simple things in life: weekend visits with her girls, family gatherings, watching movies, sitting by a pool, the lake, or her self-laid brick patio; as well as dancing, golfing, her water aerobics class, the Friendship group, the book review club, and traveling. She was always content and happy. She emphasized learning to be content with what you have and where you are in life.Nina is survived by her two daughters Debra and her husband Frank Compton, Liz and her husband Jim Hinna, three grandchildren: Stephen, Zack and Morgan, along with many great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.A celebration of Life will be held on September 30, 2017, at 12:00 PM in The Abbey Chapel at Restland Memorial Park.
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