Joan Carroll Nellson

Joan Carroll Nellson of Omaha, Nebraska, died on February 3, 2026 after a long and wonderful life, only 17 days from becoming the first nonagenarian in her family, a fact she found endlessly amusing.

Born on February 20, 1936, in Grand Island, Nebraska, Joan grew up in Kearney, the daughter of Hugo Carroll and Dorothy Stuckey Carroll. During her childhood, her family lived for a time at the Frank House while her father served as Superintendent of the Boys Training School. She loved to recount her childhood adventures there, including stories involving tunnels that may or may not have existed — but were very real to her.

Joan spent many formative hours on her grandparents’ farm near Lexington, Nebraska, where she happily drove tractors and developed a lifelong appreciation for independence and hard work..

Music entered Joan’s life early and never left. As a child, she encountered a player- piano in a basement and a more respectable piano upstairs — and from that moment, music became her first true passion. She could play nearly any song by ear, a gift that shaped her life, her marriage, and her family. The baby grand piano that anchored her lake home was not decoration; it was a living, breathing member of the household.

Joan attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta and studied English and education. She later studied for her master’s degree at the University of Arizona and taught English as a Second Language. After teaching in Tuscon, she came back to Nebraska to teach English and coach the speech and debate team, taking pride when her team won the state trophy beating her former coach from Kearney High School. Later in life, she tutored adults to help them earn their GEDs.

On June 7, 1962, Joan married fellow Kearney native Jack Nellson. They shared a deep love of music, lake life, community, and making a ruckus — often in the middle of the night, in the middle of a lake outside of Ashland, Nebraska, singing and playing instruments with other neighbors’ boats lashed together. Together, they were instrumental in creating the Willow Point Homeowners Association. Joan served for years as secretary, president, board member, and meticulous recordkeeper.

Joan also devoted her time and talents to support the Ashland community. She and Jack owned the first computer store in town, which they later converted to an exercise facility filled with machines that helped people stay limber and in shape. They called it Joanie’s Jiggle Joint. She volunteered as an election poll worker, helped with the Ashland Arts festival, and was the first female member of the Ashland Rotary Club where she later served as president.

What began as a modest cabin at a small lake outside of Ashland became, after multiple expansions, the lake home where Joan lived for more than 50 years. With its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water and a baby grand piano at its heart, the house reflected everything she loved. Joan waterskied, swam, drove ATVs and snowmobiles, played music, and built a life there that revolved around family, curiosity, and connection.

A caregiver by nature and by practice, she cared for her husband Jack around the clock during his later years, managing dialysis trips to Omaha three times a week and the physical demands of advanced illness. Earlier in life, she cared for both her and Jack’s parents, managing groceries, appointments, and daily needs. However, her favorite role was during the years she lovingly served as “Granny Nanny” to her three granddaughters, a role she treasured deeply.

Joan was endlessly curious — a researcher, a question-asker, and an early adopter who felt genuinely blessed by technology. She Googled everything, devoured podcasts (especially The Tim Ferriss Show and Huberman Lab), and enthusiastically conversed with both humans and screens. She often signed off messages with her signature wish: “Safe and successful.” No one could leave her presence without knowing she cared, and without receiving a follow-up article, text, Bitmoji, or carefully considered thought.

Calm, patient, unfussy, and deeply attentive, Joan made people feel seen and valued. She was a remarkable teacher, a generous listener, and a woman who quietly put others first. She worked hard to ensure that loose ends were tied, burdens were lifted, and those she loved would be spared unnecessary worry.

She is survived by her daughters Susan Nellson Baird (Don Baird) and Sally Nellson Barrett (Tom Barrett); grandchildren Sam Baird (Samantha Baldwin Baird), Jack Baird, Stella Barrett, Ruthie Barrett, and Elsa Barrett.

An open house to honor Joan — more party than farewell — will be held on Saturday, February 28, from 6–9 p.m. at Castle Barrett, in the spirit she preferred: music, conversation, laughter, and people she loved gathered together. Joan’s final request for her remembrance was simple – please do a good deed or something kind for someone else, paying it forward in the spirit she always tried to demonstrate.

In Joan’s words, and in her enduring wish for those she loved: “Safe and successful!”

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace)

1. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
2. where there is hatred, let me sow love;
3. where there is injury, pardon;
4. where there is doubt, faith;
5. where there is despair, hope;
6. where there is darkness, light;
7. where there is sadness, joy.
8. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
9. to be consoled as to console,
10. to be understood as to understand,
11. to be loved as to love.
12. For it is in giving that we receive,
13. it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
14. and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.