Theodosia Murphy Nolan

Theodosia Murphy Nolan, 96, of El Dorado, Ark., passed away on May 24, 2014. Mrs.Nolan was born in El Dorado on Aug. 25, 1917, the child of Charles Haywood Murphy and Bertie Wilson Murphy. She attended El Dorado High School, Gulf Park Academy in Gulfport, Miss., and the University of Texas in Austin. She married William Conlin Nolan, of El Dorado on March 11, 1936. They were married 68 years, until Mr. Nolan's death on June 30, 2004. In 1946 Mrs. Nolan, along with her brother, Charles H. Murphy Jr. and two sisters, Caroline Keller Winter and Bertie Deming Smith, founded C. H. Murphy and Company, the predecessor of Murphy Oil Corporation, Murphy USA, and Deltic Timber Company. Mrs. Nolan's life was characterized above all by a spirit of selfless devotion to her large, multigenerational extended family, starting with her mother and father and three siblings; and including her four children and their families; 12 grandchildren and their families; and 29 great-grandchildren. On the birthday of each child, grandchild, and great grandchild she called to recite the birthday prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Mrs. Nolan's contributions in preserving and enhancing Arkansas's and Louisiana's culture and heritage were great. She was a founder of the South Arkansas Arts Center and a founding Board member of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas, by whom she was awarded the Parker Westbrook Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010. She served as a Commissioner of the Arkansas Arts Council for 20 years. In 1972 Mrs. Nolan undertook a restoration of her paternal grandfather's antebellum home Cherokee Plantation, on the Cane River in Natchitoches, La. Her meticulous, loving restoration of Cherokee led to its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Cherokee has been the location of numerous family and community gatherings. Mrs. Nolan was preceded in death by her husband, William Conlin Nolan; her son, William Conlin Nolan Jr; and her brother, Charles Haywood Murphy Jr. She is survived by her two sisters, Caroline Keller Winter and Bertie Deming Smith of Alexandria, La.; three of her four children, Dr. Charles Murphy Nolan of Seattle, Wash. (Eleanor), Robert Calvert Nolan of El Dorado (Candi), and Theodosia (Tia) Nolan Roddy of New Orleans (James); 12 grandchildren, Diane Nolan Landen (James), William C. Nolan III (Carla), Jeffrey W. Nolan (Cara), Mary Nolan Ozburn (Christopher), Caroline Nolan Probst (Bradley), Raymond W. Nolan (Liza), Charles Tatum Nolan, Robert C. Nolan, Jr. (Lenka), Carrie Elizabeth Nolan, Justin M. Nolan, Peter D. Tattersall Jr., Theodosia Nolan Grant (Chip); and 29 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at First United Methodist Church in El Dorado with Rev. Keith Dodson and Rev. Dr. Christoph Keller III officiating. A private burial will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to The First United Methodist Church 201 S. Hill, El Dorado, The South Arkansas Arts Center,110 E. Fifth St., El Dorado and The Louisiana State Museum Foundation, 632 Dumaine St. New Orleans, La. 70116. An online registry is available at www.youngsfuneralhome.com.