Joanne Freeman Mims

Joanne F. Mims passed away January 20, 2025, at the age of 93 surrounded by her beloved family after a brief stay at Wesley Long Hospital. Born Jan 24, 1931, in High Point, North Carolina, Joanne was the middle child born to the late Joseph Franklin, Sr. and Thelma Horah Freeman. In her late days she loved reminiscing of childhood memories of older sister Phyllis and baby brother Joseph (Bud) and the many high jinx they got into as children. They were a close threesome, always having each other’s back and were highly protective of each other that began as children and lasted their entire lifetime.

Joanne relocated to Greensboro in 1940 where her father began a career with Pilot Life Insurance. He retired in 1967 after 42 years of service. He was a pioneer in establishing group insurance in North Carolina.

Joanne graduated from Grimsley, known at the time as Greensboro High School and attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She began working as a secretary where she met her soon-to-be husband, John. They married in 1954, relocated to Rocky Mount, North Carolina where John continued his career in the textile industry and began having their family with two beautiful daughters. Joanne was the epitome of the 1950’s mom. Her entire life revolved around raising the family. Home was considered command central with breakfast for all in the morning, lunch for her husband where he came home every day while working, snacks for the girls after school, homework, dinner and bedtime. Joanne alternated being a grade mother for each daughter in addition to driving them to dance and piano lessons, Girl Scouts, GA’s and junior choir. She was a skilled seamstress who enjoyed designing her daughters’ clothes, even creating matching dresses for their Barbie dolls. Joanne and her husband enjoyed the many skits/ plays the girls performed at home and even more so when they could be joined with all their cousins on trips to Greensboro where each performance was closed out singing “Sail with the Pilot”, the theme song of Pilot Life Insurance.

The family relocated to Southern Pines in 1965 for her husband’s job where she joined the garden club and enjoyed harvesting her own vegetable garden. The family relocated again to Gastonia in 1972 for her husband’s job. With the girls soon off to college, she began working outside the home at Luxury Interiors where her love of decorating began.

Joanne experienced no greater joy than when her grandchildren were born. It was with much sadness that after the death of her husband she moved from Gastonia back to Greensboro to care for her aging parents. With her grandchildren in Gastonia, she determined the family would begin an annual weeklong beach trip to Emerald Isle that continued for many years and were her fondest memories. Her joy was doubly multiplied with the birth of her two great granddaughters.

In her last years, Joanne thoroughly enjoyed tending the garden she created into an oasis filled with numerous water features, flowers galore and birdhouses. She loved family gatherings, collecting blue and white porcelain and had a flair for fashion and style that was commented on everywhere she went by friends and strangers, but never more appreciated than when compliments came from her young doctors. They always gave her a little more pep in her step.

The family wishes to express their deepest and eternal gratitude to caregivers, Renee Bunton and Joann White, who loved her just like family, making it possible for Joanne to stay in her own home, which was how she wanted to live out the remainder of her life. A special thank you to nurse Lindsay Nelson at Wesley Long. While she only knew Joanne for a few days, she treated her with so much kindness and love, even checking in on her the days she was not assigned to her. When she visited, Joanne flashed a big grin and her eyes lit up. The family is grateful for those few minutes of happiness she brought to Joanne.

Joanne is predeceased by many she loved. Her parents, Joseph Franklin Freeman Sr and Thelma Freeman Hora O’Donnell, husband John Brown Mims, brother Joseph Franklin Freeman, Jr. and wife Natalie, sister-in-law Patsy Coble Freeman, brother-in-law Norman Jay Campbell, brother-in-law Robert Mims and wife Ann, brother-in-law James Mims, nephew Joseph Franklin Freeman III and niece Sara Mims Pannell.

Those left to cherish her memories are her two daughters, Deborah Mims Hunt and husband David (of Greensboro) and Patricia Mims Neill and husband Chip (of Gastonia); grandchildren Preston Andrew Neill and wife Jillian (of Winston Salem) and Lauren Elisabeth Neill (of Gastonia); two great granddaughters Hero Catherine Neill and Juno Emmeline Neill; sister Phyllis Freeman Campbell (of Burlington), sister-in-law Katheryn Wall Mims (wife of the late James E Mims) of High Point; five nieces: Karen C. Johnson, and husband Steve (of Burlington, NC), Donna C Harper and former husband Jimmy Harper (of Burlington, NC), Brenda C Keany and the late Patrick Keany (of Greensboro), nephew Andy Freeman and wife Channing (of Houston, TX), Rob Mims and wife Mona (of Medina, Ohio), Jim Mims and wife Robin (of Greensboro), Laura Mims and husband George Arnold (of Greensboro) Charles Mims and wife Elaine (of Spring, TX), fourteen great nieces and nephews, one great, great niece and four great, great nephews.

Visitation is Saturday, February 22 at 11:00 am. Celebration of Life service will follow at 12:00 pm with Joanne’s great niece, the Reverend Sara Beth Mims Pannell performing the service at Hanes Lineberry North Elm Chapel, 515 North Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Samaritan’s Purse Hurricane Relief for Western North Carolina. https://www.samaritanspurse.org or to the charity of donor’s choice.