Riley Nix

    Riley was born on February 17, 1958 in Lamesa, Texas to William Riley “Bill” and Patricia Nix .
    In 1976, he graduated from Lamesa High School and enrolled in MacMurry University on a football scholarship. He graduated from Texas Tech University in 1980 and enrolled in Oklahoma City University School of Law. While in Oklahoma, he married the love of his life, Lanetta Robinson, whom he brought with him out of Egypt (Oklahoma) and into the Promised Land.
    Riley and Lanetta moved to Sherman in 1989 with their daughter, Amber, and soon thereafter had two sons, William Riley III (Trip) and Lincoln. In Sherman, Riley developed a practice as a lawyer to virtually every bank in the Texoma region. In a profession whose practitioners often tolerate their work through gritted teeth, Riley delighted in the practice of law. He was energized by the work he did and was deeply grateful for the privilege of representing many of the same clients for well over three decades. He never took their business for granted and regarded his clients as friends, and the feeling was mutual. He worked until the week of his passing.
    Riley was a member of the First Baptist Church and was a wildly beloved Sunday school teacher for many years. Fittingly, as the consummate worrier, he became a self-studied but bona fide expert on the Book of Revelation. When his children were school-aged, he had handwritten notecards with Proverbs that were discussed on the ride to school. After discussing millennia-old wisdom from the Word of God, he would leave the kids with one additional piece of wisdom before they walked into school: “Don’t get into a fight today, but if you do, fight to win.”
    He was an exemplary family man. He was a doting father who adored his children, and the feeling was unmistakably mutual. He was patient and generous, and happily performed his role as the “good cop” start to finish. As a husband, he doled out praise and compliments to his wife, Lanetta, almost to the point of absurdity, leading one of their sons, in his younger years, to inform Lanetta that “you know, you are not nearly as cool as he says you are.” He was a kind, steady, and loving husband--an utterly faithful companion.
    He is survived by his mother, Patricia; his wife, Lanetta; their three children, Amber, Lincoln, and Trip, his son-in-law, Luke; his daughter-in-law, Jantzen; his sister, Pandora; his brother, John; his two beloved grandchildren, Sophie and Audrey; nieces and nephews, and his constant canine companions, Dixie and Tillie.  
    Per his wishes, there will be no memorial service. Any donations should be made to the First Baptist Church of Sherman, Texas.  The register book can be signed online at waldofuneralhome.com.

– Press-Reporter obituary services