Nina Vail's Obituary
Nina Vail, age 69, of Dallas, Texas passed from this life into the arms of her Savior on February 19th, 2026. Born August 12, 1956 in Odessa, Texas, Nina was the eldest daughter of Ira Wellington Vail and Melba Joy Vail. Nina graduated from Bryan Adams high school in 1974 and went on to attend Southern Methodist University where she received an academic scholarship. She graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater.
Nina met and married Stephen David Hill in Dallas, Texas. They welcomed their firstborn daughter, Rebecca, in 1982. The family later moved to Longview, Texas, where they welcomed a second daughter, Elizabeth, in 1986. They moved back to Dallas in 1990 where Nina worked at a pediatric dental office with her sister, Susan Bryant. Nina thrived in her career as Dr. Holt’s office manager and brought both her compassion for patients and pragmatism to his office for over 10 years.
In 2000, Nina began her career at Lakewood Presbyterian School as their kindergarten and theater teacher. Throughout her 24 years in those roles, she impacted countless young lives. She sewed the most beautiful costumes, tailored perfectly to her actors and carefully pulled many a tooth for her kindergarteners. Whether teaching little ones to read and count with her own rich curriculum or encouraging high schoolers to show the confidence and composure required to recite Shakespeare on stage in front of an audience, her many gifts were shared in abundance. Nina served as confidant, advisor, and friend to hundreds of students over her years at Lakewood.
Nina is preceded in death by her brother, Richard. She is survived by her daughters, Rebecca Williamson (Grant) and Elizabeth Olles (Tim), her sisters, Susan Bryant (Paul) and Angela Bellias (George), and 11 dearly loved grandchildren.
A memorial service with a reception to follow will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14th at Lakewood Presbyterian Church.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Nina’s beloved Lakewood Presbyterian Church, where she worshipped and served for over 35 years.”
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