Edward Thomas Nurse

“Tell me a happy story.” — Ed

Dr. Edward “Ed” Nurse, 76, of Corpus Christi, Texas, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2026, surrounded by family after a years-long battle with Lewy Body dementia with Parkinson’s disease.

Ed was born July 16, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois, to Edward and Anne Nurse. He attended Southern Illinois University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, and later graduated from Texas Chiropractic College with his Doctor of Chiropractic degree. A lifelong advocate of education and learning, Ed carried that passion into both his professional life and his relationships with others. Ed’s exuberance for life inspired and comforted everyone he met. He treated all people with kindness and respect.

Ed opened his first chiropractic clinic in Dale City, Virginia, where he met and married his forever girlfriend, Joyce. Together, they shared 34 wonderful years of love and laughter.

His love of the Texas coast eventually drew him back to Texas, where he opened Nurse Chiropractic in Corpus Christi. After a brief retirement, he returned to work with his first employer, Hall Chiropractic in Austin, for five years. Never quite ready to step away from helping others, he later worked at The Joint in Corpus Christi before fully retiring in 2017. He truly loved being a chiropractor and caring for his patients.

In retirement, the onset of his illness became more prominent, although he continued studying and devoted his time to caring for his girlfriend and their rescue dogs, which brought him great joy.

A proud Chicago native, Ed remained a devoted fan of Chicago sports teams, especially the Chicago Bears and the Chicago White Sox, although he did enjoy a few Cubs games as well. His greatest sports loyalty, however, was to Notre Dame football—he never missed a game. Even naming one of his dogs Rudy, who we are sure was waiting for Ed at Heaven’s Gate.

Ed had a lifelong passion for automobiles, RVs, and trailers. Inspired by his parents’ love of Airstreams, he created many of his own Airstream adventures with his love and his dogs. He spent countless hours reading and learning about anything automotive. Together with his son Matthew, he enjoyed many sunny days walking the lots of car dealerships of every type of vehicle, sometimes even making lifelong friends with the salespeople. But his happiest and most satisfying times were the long drives with his special girlfriend and the pups.

Ed was preceded in death by his father, Edward Nurse; his mother, Anne Nurse; his sisters, Kathleen Colbert and Diane McCann; his brother-in-law and mentor, Jerry McCann; and his dear nephew, Phillip Halm.

Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 32 years Joyce Nurse; his son, Matthew (Shyloh) Godfrey; his sisters, Margaret Everett, Patricia (John) Domina, and Darlene Halm; and numerous nieces and nephews who lovingly knew him as “Uncle Ed”, “Uncle Eddie” or “All-Time Quarterback,” all of whom he cherished as his own.

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the team at Christus Hospice and Palliative Care, with special thanks to Jennifer and Bethany for respecting his dignity with their compassionate care.

Cremation services are entrusted to Sawyer-George Funeral Home, 12497 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78410. A visitation will be held on Friday, March 27, 2026, from 5:00–6:00 p.m., followed by a Celebration of Life at 6:00 p.m. Ed often said, “Tell me a happy story”. In the true spirit of Ed’s Irish storytelling, family and friends are invited to bring and share their favorite memories and stories.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (www.lbda.org) or Texas Chiropractic College (www.txchiro.edu).

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