Bessie Lucille Parker was born in Arkansas to Thomas M. Parker and Jessie (Lay) Parker. After the family moved to Texas, she married George E. Nance, a Hallettsville native, in 1924. They settled in the Canyon area and established the Nance Hereford Ranch, which by 1925 covered 6,000 acres and primarily dealt in cattle. Through the 1940s and 1950s, the ranch produced champion cattle and became nationally known as a leading purebred Hereford breeder. After George died, Lucille operated the ranch before eventually leasing the land to others. She later married investment banker Lovell Leslie Jones. In 1963, they moved into town and built a house, working closely with architect Norris E. Root, II, so it could retain their extensive antique collection, with each room designed to accommodate specific furnishings. Lucille Nance Jones collected rococo-style items and art during travels around the world on vacations and to various livestock shows. Later in life, she donated items to museums and institutions, including art pieces, antiques, and a bronze longhorn steer to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum. In 1970, she donated more than 2,000 acres, including the headquarters of the Nance Ranch, to West Texas State University, now West Texas A&M University, for agricultural education. After her death, she was buried in Dreamland Cemetery outside Canyon next to her first husband, George Nance. Through her work as a rancher, businesswoman, and art collector, she left a lasting legacy in West Texas.