Funeral services for Donnie Nell (Grissom) Northcutt, 89, of Lexington were held at Monday, December 30, 2019 at the Lexington First Baptist Church. Interment was at the Noble IOOF Cemetery under the direction of the Wilson-Little Funeral Home in Purcell.
Donnie Nell (Grissom) Northcutt of Lexington, passed away Thursday, December 26, 2019, in Lexington.
She was born August 25, 1930, at home in Noble, Okla., the fifth of 10 children born to Cyrus Dion Grissom and Nellie Carrie (Stufflebean) Grissom. Donnie Nell was named after both of her parents
She was raised on the family farm in South Noble where she became a caretaker at a young age for her five younger siblings. Donnie Nell attended Canada Country School through eighth grade and graduated from Noble High School in 1948. While in school, she met her husband to be, Don Northcutt.
After graduating she attended Draughon’s Business College in Oklahoma City and later went to work for Cleveland County Soil Conservation Office in Norman, Okla.
Donnie Nell married Donnie Lavon Northcutt on December 31, 1951, in Oklahoma City, Okla. After marrying, they made their home in Stillwater, Okla., where Don attended Oklahoma A&M. After Don’s graduation, they moved to Chickasha, Okla., where Donnie Nell attended USAO and obtained an elementary teaching degree.
Don and Donnie Nell then moved to Norman, Okla., where she taught third grade for one year before adopting their daughter Dianna Kay in 1962. Two years later Douglas Kent was born, and 13 months later David Kevin was born in 1965. From this time on, she focused on raising children and supporting her husband’s career and business.
In 1956, Northcutt’s Greenlawn Nursery was founded near Noble. In 1960, Don and Donnie Nell purchased Norman Garden Center and started marketing turf and turf products. Two years later they relocated the business to a 160 acre farm north of Lexington, where they planted their first trees. They sold their first crop of trees in 1968. They currently sell large trees and shrubs to markets all over the United States.
After Don passed away in 1988, Donnie Nell ran the family business with her two sons, Doug and Dave. Over the years they have increased their farming to over a 1,000 acres, added a wholesale nursery in Oklahoma City, and have included a cow/calf operation to utilize land not suited for turf and tree production. For the past 50 years, Donnie Nell rarely missed a day of work at the Nursery. She was an avid gardener and on the day she passed she was picking up pecans along the creek.
Donnie Nell was a faithful Christian and active member of the Lexington First Baptist Church for 60 years. She taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and served as Sunday school superintendent and record keeper for many years.
If she wasn’t working or at church, her passion was Oklahoma State sports. Since 1951, she and her family have been season ticket holders to Cowboy’s football, basketball, baseball, and wrestling, only missing games because of illness. Other hobbies and interests included cooking, working crossword puzzles, writing poetry and traveling. Most of all spending time with her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Cyrus and Nellie Grissom; husband, Donnie L. Northcutt in 1988; daughter, Diana Kay Cartwright in 2005; two sisters, Nadine Pederson and Evelyn Fox and four brothers, Vernon, Billy, Nolan and Gordon Grissom.
She is survived by two sons, Doug Northcutt and wife, Montez, of Lexington and Dave Northcutt and wife, Allison, of Lexington; eight grandchildren, Cassi Deal and husband, Nathan, of Norman, Jordan Northcutt and wife, Callie, of Lexington, Ryan Northcutt and wife, Emily, of Plano, Texas, Lucas Northcutt of Lexington, Logan Northcutt and wife, Kalesha, of Denver, Colo., Jonah Northcutt and fiancée, Chloe Herrin, of Lexington, Nick Northcutt and fiancée, Brooke Banfield, of Oklahoma City and Tia Northcutt of Norman; four great-grandchildren, Levi, Noah, Ivy and Paisley Northcutt; three sisters, Joyce Brown of Noble, Nona Argo of Norman and Mona Roberts and husband, Elmer, of Norman,; four sisters-in-law, Jonell Grissom of Noble, Sharon Grissom McCall of Noble, Margaret Northcutt of Panama City, Fla., and Betty Northcutt of Norman; one brother-in-law, Jude Northcutt of Oklahoma City; many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends.
Memorials may be made to the Lexington FBC Choir Ministry.
Online condolences may be made at wilsonlittle.com.
