George Jones was a masterful singer and performer. Who can listen to a soulful song like "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and not be deeply moved by the raw emotion it conveys? That particular track loomed huge in Jones' storied career. It was just one of his many classic hits. However, George Jones was also a tormented man. Before his death at the age of 81 in 2013, he dealt with alcoholism that nearly upended his life and work. Married a total of four times, his last wife, with whom he spent 30 years, was Nancy Sepulvado. She recently talked about the sacrifices she made for her beloved but troubled husband and the satisfying life she leads now.
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"I'm Out Having a Good Time Now"
Coping with George Jones' affinity for the bottle cannot have been easy for Nancy, despite her devotion to the man. Keeping him steady while surviving herself must have been rough, to say the least. When Nancy Jones was a guest on the Drifting Cowboy podcast, she got candid about her days then and now. She's cutting loose a bit at last and kind of feels she owes it to herself.
Jones, who is 77, shared, "I'm not mean no more. I had to be. But... I'm all mellowed out. I have missed out on life and so I'm enjoying life now. A lot of people don't expect me to go out and do this and do that. I deserve it. I really do. And I pat myself on the back because I put 32 years of my life [into] saving a man. And so that's why I'm out having a good time now."
Nancy Jones Made It Her Mission To Rescue Her Husband
She resolutely stood by George Jones through thick and thin. Furthermore, doing that was clearly not simple. It sounds like Nancy sacrificed a lot to maintain George's well-being to the greatest degree she could.
She observed, "I knew that the man was with the wrong crowd and they were doing things that I did not approve of. So I just stayed there thinking, 'I've got to save this man.' I really, in my heart, I'll always believe that's why God put me on this earth."
Patience Was Apparently the Key To Dealing With Her Husband
Three years ago, Nancy Jones wrote a book called Playin' Possum: My Memories of George Jones. In it, she mentions that being patient with him was a valuable strategy. "I'm not going to say nothing I did was easy. I wouldn't wish it on nobody... I had to lead him back to God, and I had to have the patience with him...I learned to have patience with him, and I think that was what was the clue to the whole thing."
What Nancy did for him was successful. George Jones ditched drinking in 1999 until the end of his life 14 years later. Even though she faced numerous challenges with her husband, she obviously still cares about his legacy and memory. In fact, according to People, Nancy Jones will be throwing a posthumous 95th birthday bash for George in Nashville on September 13.
