James Douglas Nance, Jr. passed peacefully into the welcoming arms of his Savior on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 in Gainesville, Texas.  He was born in St. Joseph's Maternity Hospital in Houston, Texas on March 8, 1945 to Doug and Cora Lee Nance.  James attended Houston schools, graduating from Bellaire High School in 1963.  He then attended North Texas State University, earning BA and MA degrees in History and Spanish.  While in graduate school, James married Carol Ann Conley on June 15, 1968 in Houston and settled permanently in Denton. They celebrated their 53 ^rd anniversary this summer.

James worked many years as a design engineer at Mark IV Luminator in Plano. He enjoyed listening to classical and film music and watching films on Turner Classic Movies.  His favorite pastime, however, was watching and modeling trains.  James was a member of the Denton Area Model Railroad Club.  As a member of First Presbyterian Church in Denton, he served as an adult Sunday school teacher, Elder, and Trustee.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 21 at 10 AM at First Presbyterian Church, 1114 West University Dr. in Denton.

James is survived by his wife Carol, son Mark and his wife Amanda, grandsons Nathaniel and Karl, brother-in-law Mark Conley and his wife Brenda, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Denton Christian Pre-School would be appreciated.

The family would like to thank the staffs of Corinth Rehabilitation Suites in Corinth, River Valley Healthcare in Gainesville, and Solaris Hospice in Decatur for their kind and loving care of James this summer.