Meet Nancy Overton, FCM Roanoke Thrift Store Manager

The Lord promises that he will never leave you nor forsake you. In the eye of a storm, it can be difficult to remember this promise, but we can have peace in every situation through faith in Jesus. 

Nancy Overton, the manager of Four Corners Thrift Store in Roanoke, Alabama, believes that strengthening your faith in Christ is essential to overcoming trials in life. Nancy remembers the Thursday night when a nurse came knocking on her door almost 14 years ago. The nurse told Nancy and her husband, John, that they would have to get their nine-year-old son to Birmingham immediately. 

Their son, Payton, had been struggling with body aches and fatigue, but after tests, the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong. 

“We went back because it just hadn't gotten any better, and I told the nurse then, ‘Listen, I want cultures run. I want bloodwork done. As a mother, I know there’s something going on with him,’” Nancy said. The nurse told Nancy she would likely have the results on Monday, but God helped speed up the process and the nurse had the results four days earlier. Payton had been diagnosed with leukemia.

“We went straight to the hospital here, and they airlifted him to Birmingham and started immediately,” Nancy said. “I’ll never forget that day. We couldn’t ride with him, and that was a struggle for us because we’d never been away from him. We’re like, how do you explain to him that we’re coming?”

When she arrived at the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, she said her son looked like Inspector Gadget as he was hooked up to wires and cords. “I don't wish that on anybody,” Nancy said. “That is the hardest thing to deal with, to see your child go through, and there's nothing you can do at all.”

For the next year and a half, the Overton family fought the cancer battle, and by the power of God, Payton was able to overcome it after having a bone marrow transplant, radiation, and chemotherapy. He’s currently 23 years old and has a job working on underground power lines.

“There’s going to be some trials and tribulations in your life, and you’ve got to have strong faith,” Nancy said.

While it feels like a blur now, Nancy remembers there were rough days as well as good days. Through it all, her faith carried her through it. She said she could feel God’s presence and knew he was going to be with them the entire time.

“It was a lot of getting down on your knees, and praying, ‘Lord, please just help us understand,’” she said. “You’re not supposed to question God’s work, but times like that, it’s hard not to be like, ‘Why my child?’”

While cancer took a toll on everyone in the family, God did not leave them. In their weakest moments, he did not abandon them.

Before receiving the diagnosis, Nancy had worked for Goodwill for about 18 years as a cashier then assistant manager. Because of the cancer insurance policy Nancy had through Goodwill, she was able to stay with her son throughout his treatment, but when it was time for her to return to work, she found out that the Goodwill store in Roanoke had closed.

She didn’t know what she was going to do or what God had in store for her future. Around this time, Four Corners Ministries was in the process of opening a thrift store in Roanoke in the same building Goodwill was previously occupying. Nancy was called in for an interview and was hired as the first manager of the store in 2011. 

Since then, she said she’s been blessed with a job she’s passionate about and a crew she loves. Nancy and her staff are like sisters. Brenda Frye, the assistant manager, worked at Goodwill with Nancy before joining the Four Corners team, and a couple of the other ladies have celebrated their 10th anniversary of working at the Four Corners thrift store. Nancy’s favorite part of her job is making her customers happy by having what they need and by providing a relaxing place they can shop.

“That is our goal. We always want people to feel like they’re welcome when they come in here and they’re appreciated because if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have what we have,” she said. “They’re our backbone of making this organization work.”

Because of the loyal customers and donors that visit the Roanoke store, Four Corners was able to expand the store into the adjoining building in 2020. Nancy said it’s another blessing she doesn’t take for granted.

After standing by her son while he was battling cancer, Nancy said she’s learned to look at life differently and to enjoy the little victories as much as the big victories. She cherishes her time with her coworkers, her husband John, daughter Paige, son Payton, stepson Mason and her four grandsons.

“You just try to live every day like it’s your last because nobody’s promised tomorrow,” she said.