Nona Rae Gooch passed away Oct. 9, 2026, at the age of 85 in Farmersville, Texas. She was born at home Nov. 2, 1940, north of Farmersville, Texas, to E. Rayburn Gooch and Winona Henson Gooch. She was the second born of four children.

Nona attended school from first to 12th grade in Farmersville, graduating in 1958. After graduation, she worked at Great American Reserve Insurance Company in downtown Dallas before building and opening Nona’s Day School in 1971. She enjoyed teaching and nurturing many children throughout the 29 years her day school was open. Even though she never had children of her own, many kids became like family to her and stayed in touch with her even into adulthood.

Nona was a devoted sister, cousin, aunt and friend. She joined the First United Methodist Church in Farmersville as a teenager and was an active member throughout her lifetime. For many years, she served as the church’s Sunday School superintendent and sang in the church choir. In the summer, she enjoyed going with the youth on mission trips to McCurdy School in Espanola, New Mexico. Nona enjoyed serving on the church’s Caring Committee, where she sent out birthday cards to members.

Nona had a servant’s heart and was a lifetime dedicated volunteer in the Farmersville community. She was a hard worker and enjoyed volunteering, doing things such as Adopt a Highway with the church.

She was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Farmersville Garden Club. Nona played an active role in launching Farmersville’s first recycling program called FREE (Farmersville Recycling Environmental Effort), in 1990. On many Saturdays, you would find Nona and Judy Brandon at the Farmersville Recycling Center, collecting recyclables from vehicles as people dropped them off. She did this for many years and made many friends in the community. Nona liked keeping up with her classmates throughout the years and enjoyed volunteering to organize her class reunions.

She is survived by her sisters, Ann Gooch and Mary Jo Stroup; her nephews, Steven Stroup, Randall Stroup and wife Janice, Jeff Stroup and wife Nancy, and her niece Heidi Vaughan and husband Bryan; her great-nephews, Tate Stroup, Jacob Vaughan and wife Sara, and Matthew Vaughan; and many cousins that she cherished as well.

Nona was preceded in death by her parents, E. Rayburn Gooch and Winona Henson Gooch, and a younger brother, Elton Eugene Gooch (Genie Boy).

A funeral service was held Thursday, Oct. 15, at the First United Methodist Church in Farmersville, Texas. Nona was laid to rest at I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Farmersville, Texas.