Woody F. Nestor Memorial Fund for the Needy
TYPE OF FUND: Field of Interest
DATE ESTABLISHED: Initiated 1990 Established May 10, 2000
PURPOSE: To aid the needy of Tucker County.
DISTRIBUTION: To be administered by the board of TCF in consultation with the Parsons Ministerial Association, or directly by TCF or their appointee, in the event of the dissolution of the Ministerial Association.
VARIANCE POWER: If, in the judgment of the TCF Board of Directors, the restrictions and conditions of the fund become unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community, the TCF Board of Directors maintains the right to modify the terms of this fund.
FUNDING: From friends and family following the death of Mr. Nestor in 1990.
BACKGROUND: Francis Woodrow Nestor (1914-1990) was the only son of Arthur and Marie Cupp Nestor, and because his father and grandfather had died, he spent his early years with his mother, grandmother and two sisters. After marrying Juanita Wolfe in 1938, Woody became the father of three daughters, Priscilla Ann, Sue Ellen and Judith. It is said that sometimes, as he sat down a the dinner table with his all-female family, the grin for which he was known would take over his face, and if one listened closely, she would hear, “Women!”
Perhaps because of his upbringing, or maybe just because that’s the way he was made, Woody was a kind and giving man, occasionally to a fault. Often his daughters would say, “Mother, what ever happened to that old deacon’s bench?” or “…that double rocker from the porch?” or”…the violin that was upstairs?” The answer was always, “Oh, your daddy gave that to…” The recipient was usually someone he considered “needy” in one respect or another.
In the weeks after the flood of 1985 when St. George was all but destroyed, Woody Nestor, at nearly 72 years old and retired by this time, was out every day trying to help someone. He often gave vicariously or anonymously to those in need during the aftermath. Giving was not just something Woody Nestor did, giving was Woody Nestor. It was his personality.
Because they felt this giving nature should be remembered and continued, his widow, Juanita Nestor and daughters, Priscilla Poole and Sue Ellen Carpenter and their families established the Woody Nestor Memorial Fund for the Needy. In starting the fund, the family said, “Neither what he kept nor what he gave away means anything to him as he reaps the rewards of Heaven, but his good works here in this life can continue through the auspices of the Tucker Community Foundation.”