Lora Frances Tarbox

“Nancy” Tarbox, age 85, of Highlands, NC, passed away unexpectedly at home on Monday, March 28th, 2016. Born in Knox City, Texas on August 27th, 1930, to William Lamont Hills and Jesse Frances Jones Hills, Nancy grew up in Rule, and then Denton, Texas and graduated in 1947 from Denton High School. She received her BA from Baylor University in Waco, Texas in 1951. Nancy married Everett Jacob “E.J.” Tarbox at her home church in Denton, Texas on November 17th, 1956.

Nancy and EJ moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1963, where E.J. finished his PhD, later settling in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1968. Nancy was devoted to raising her children and supporting the academic community at Indiana State University (ISU). She led an active social and political life in Terre Haute, including as a founder of Leadership Terre Haute, as president of Housewives Effort for Local Progress (HELP), as a member of the board of directors of Indiana Planned Parenthood, as a delegate to the National Organization for Women (NOW) and a committee member of the campaign to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Indiana. After her children were grown, she continued graduate studies at ISU in Terre Haute in Art History and at Indiana University in Bloomington in Religious Studies and Folklore.

In 1997, E.J. and Nancy retired full time to Highlands, North Carolina, where they continued an active life of scholarship, service and community building. She was an active member of the Highlands Institute for Religious and Philosophical Thought, director of their Women’s Dialogue program and beloved member of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation of Highlands. Bread for the World recognized Nancy's extraordinary generosity in the National Associate of Leadership Circles in 2016.

Nancy will be especially remembered for her gracious hostessing, peerless poise, passion for music, fierce intelligence, lifelong love of learning, strong faith, commitment to social justice and loving devotion to her many friends and family.

Survivors include her husband of 59 years Everett J. Tarbox; son Monte Tarbox and his wife Amy Beckett of Silver Spring, Maryland; daughter Jane Auhl and her husband Rick of State College, Pennsylvania; daughter Janis Tarbox Fisher of Shanghai, China; and son Jonathan Tarbox and his wife Kazuko Shimizu of San Diego, California. She is also survived by nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. She was predeceased by her sister Mildred Hills Strube in 2013.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, 11:00am, April 9th at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation at 520 Main Street in Highlands. Relatives and friends are welcome to a visitation on Friday, April 8th, 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Church of the Incarnation.

Nancy's family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Bread for the World at www.bread.org or Bread for the World Institute, 425 3rd Street SW, Suite 1200 Washington, DC 20024.

Bryant-Grant Funeral Home is serving the Tarbox family. Online condolences are available at bryantgrantfuneralhome.com.