Carol Lee Nelson

that era, times were challenging, but her parents always ensured the necessities were provided.

Her mother worked until Carol reached her teenage years, then chose to stay home to raise the growing family. Her father was a gifted cabinet and furniture maker, admired for his craftsmanship.

As a teenager, Carol joined the Miami Majorette Corps, where she learned to twirl a baton and became highly skilled. Her troupe proudly marched in two nationally televised Orange Bowl Parades. One year, heavy rain soaked the parade so thoroughly that her boots filled with water—when she emptied them, it looked like pouring water from a pitcher! During those years, Carol also discovered her beautiful soprano voice. She sang in her church choir and soon began performing solos at services and weddings. Her rendition of

The Lord’s Prayer was especially memorable.

Carol graduated from Miami Jackson Senior High School and began working in the Yellow Pages department at Bell South, the regional phone company.

From an early age, Carol loved cooking. She started helping in the kitchen as a child and grew into an accomplished cook, delighting family and friends with delicious meals and desserts throughout her life. In her late teens, Carol began teaching a primary girls’ Sunday School class at church, guiding many young hearts to Christ. In her early twenties, Carol left Florida for California, transferring her job from Bell South to Pacific Bell. She shared a home in Sacramento with her dear friend Sarah, who had moved

there earlier. Winters were cold, a stark contrast to Florida’s warmth! After about five years, Carol’s father developed serious heart problems. Wanting to be closer to family but not return to Miami, Carol and Sarah chose Jacksonville as their new home—a decision that lasted a lifetime. Carol transferred back to what had become Southern Bell and continued her career there. Over time, changing work conditions and looming lay-offs led her to retire after more than 37 years with the Bell System.

Carol loved to travel and even visited England and Ireland with close friends. For over 40 years, she was a devoted member of Evangel Temple Assembly of God Church in Jacksonville. She volunteered for many years at the church food bank, serving at the

client intake desk. After COVID, health challenges forced her to reduce her hours and eventually step away.

Carol enjoyed reading, cooking, and even taught herself to knit. She became highly skilled, creating sweaters, baby blankets, and hundreds of hats for newborns and infants, which she donated to local hospitals. Many babies went home with warm heads thanks to her generosity. She also knitted larger hats for the homeless, spreading warmth and kindness wherever she could.

In the early morning hours of December 29, 2025, Carol went to be with our Lord and Savior and is preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Thelma Nelson, and her older brother, Richard Nelson. She is survived by her sister, Sharon Dorris of Arvada, Colorado,

her brother, Paul Nelson of Palm Coast, Florida and many loving nieces and nephews, and her lifelong friend, Sarah Nemeth.

A visitation will be held on January 5, 2026, at 11:00 am at the Evangel Temple Assembly of God, located at 5755 Ramona Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205. A Celebration of Life will follow at the same venue at 12:00 pm.

The committal service will take place on January 5, 2026, at 3:00 pm at Hardage-Giddens, Riverside Memorial Park & Funeral Home, located at 7242 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205.