Joanne Caroline Nelson

​Joanne​ Caroline​ Nelson, passed away on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at Carteret Health Care from natural causes at the age of 76. She was born on February 18, 1944, in ​Wichata Falls, Texas.

Joanne graduated from Indiana University in 1965 with a Degree in Economics and was a career civil servant with the Social Security Administration in California. She retired to Boone, NC where she lived for many years. Joanne was truly passionate about rescuing animals, and spent her retirement working for and being a board member of the Watauga Humane Society. She rescued and fostered countless dogs, often taking in the toughest cases for rehabilitation.

Joanne left Boone in 2015, to move to coastal Carolina to be closer to family, and became active in the local chapter of the DAR, and continued to support fund-raisers for both the Carteret County Animal Shelter and the Watauga Humane Society.

Joanne was also a born artist who excelled at any craft she attempted: poetry, jewelry-making, crochet, mosaic, ​​cooking, quilting, and sculpture, to name a few. Joanne was a fiercely independent woman who lived life solely on her own terms. She had a warm heart, a stubborn soul, and a helping hand for those who needed it.

She leaves behind her brother, Edward Wyatt Nelson; her nieces, Emily and Maggie Nelson; and many other beloved friends.

She is preceded in death by her father, Edward Wyatt Nelson; her mother, Dorothy Spencer Nelson; and her brother, John Spencer Nelson, as well as her many beloved Bouviers.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in memory of Joanne to an Animal Shelter of your choice or to her favorite shelter, the Watauga Humane Society at P.O. Box 1835, Boone, NC 28607 or https://wataugahumane.org/donate

Family and friends are welcome to submit online condolences at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements by Munden Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. in Morehead City, N.C.