Nelda Gail Austin Andrews

On August 3, 2026, Nelda Gail Austin Andrews, born August 28, 1954, left behind the shackles of suffering and entered into the splendor of a pain-free paradise of startling beauty.

Because her mother died when she was fifteen months old, Gail was raised by her father. To occupy her time when she was a young girl, she became an avid reader of books by many different authors. She did not like books that had no resolved ending but preferred stories that had a happy ending. At her passing, the Author of her story closed the book of her life and wrote on the outside of the book, "Not the end but the beginning."

The one thing she adored more than books was her family. Each member was special to her, and the sight of their faces always brought a smile and a request, "I need a hug." Her husband, Dale, was her rock who kept her steady during ill health and life's difficulties. He spared no expense or effort to see that she always had the best of care before and especially after her liver transplant. He and Gail had been married for 52 years. Her children and grandchildren were her pride and joy.

Her home was always open to extended family and friends—especially her church family. She loved to regale people with her past experiences or inform them of some new item she had recently read about or had seen online. She was a fountain of information.

Of utmost importance in her life were the ministry, her church family, and her God. Her unique way of expressing her love for them was unmatched. She often listened as the ministry described heaven's beauty—the things that would be there and the things that would be absent. The promise that "eye hath not seen nor ear heard all that is laid up for them that love God" became a reality to her through a dream she once had.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Alta Newton Austin and Joseph Harley Austin. Left behind to joyfully recount her unparalleled views and expressions are her husband, Dale Wayne; her children, Alta (Jeremey) Faul and Marshall (Michelle) Andrews; and her grandchildren, Mason (Kylie) Andrews, Austin Andrews, William Andrews, and Audrey and Nathan Faul.

Visitation will be at Apostolic Temple Pentecostal Church, 2711 W. Prien Lake Road, Lake Charles, at 10:00 a.m. on August 5, 2026. The funeral service, conducted by Rev. R. D. Treece and Rev. Jordan Anderson, will begin at 1:00 p.m. the same day. Burial will follow at Old Ritchie Cemetery in Moss Bluff.