Joan McLean Nimms

Memorial services for Joan McLean Nimms will be held Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 11:00AM Graveside at Mt Olive Church Cemetery. Rev. Carl Stokes will officiate. Mrs. Nimms passed away on January 17, 2022. Joan was born October 10, 1931 in Pelham to Ralph and Wilma Lodge McLean. She grew up in Gainsville, Fl. but spent many summers with her family in Georgia. She majored in music education and obtained her bachelor's degree from Stetson University in 1953 and her mater's in education and administration in 1958 from the University of Florida. Joan Proudly served in the United States Air Force from 1959 to 1960 in the WAIF band in California. During her time in California, she became very homesick. One evening she was in the Library on base and a young man, also in the Air force saw her crying. He was very kind and comforted her. His name was George Nimms. They fell fast in love and ran off the Las Vegas to get married. Together they enjoyed 47 wonderful years of marriage. Upon leaving the Air Force, they moved to New York where Joan was a music instructor and worked in administration for the Olster School System until her retirement in 1986. They moved to Ocala to be near family, especially Joan's Cousin, Nelle Needham, who was like a sister to Joan. Ocala was also close enough to Georgia to allow Joan and George to be near family who lived there. Georgia passed away in 2007 after a long and complicated illness. Joan enjoyed her membership at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. She also enjoyed her volunteer work at Hospice of Marion County. She is survived by her nephews, Steve Kane (Kiki) and Mike Needham (Julie), many cousins and will be greatly missed by her cousins, Betty Johnson (Fred), Linda Godwin (Tony), Marjorie Williams (Gene), John (Bud) Lodge (Connie) and Jennifer Atkinson. Joan was preceded in death by her parents. Willis-Jamerson-Braswell Funeral Home,