Nellie was born to Ouida and Edward Lawrence on December 8, 1933, at the rural Jackson County home of her maternal aunt and uncle back when doctors still made house calls. She had fond memories of growing up at the farm with her dear friend Gloria Lawson Goodreau and her many cousins as her playmates, and she vividly recalled when the farm got electricity and also listening to the radio the day of her birthday in 1941 when President Roosevelt gave his famous speech in response to the Pearl Harbor attack.
The family moved to Panama City after World War 2 where she attended Cove School (and where she later taught with the best faculty EVER) and was a proud member of the Bay High Class of 1950. A die-hard Seminole, Nellie attended Florida State University for her undergraduate teaching degree and while on campus she was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity and the FSU Flying High student circus among other activities. She received her master’s in early childhood education at the University of Florida where her first husband, John S. “Jack” Laird, was finishing his studies in Forestry, and then worked in the Bay County school system as a teacher and an administrator until her retirement.
While in Panama City she was an active member of Wallace Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Junior Service League, serving as a sustaining recipe coordinator on the award-winning Bay Leaves cookbook. She later moved to Geneva, Alabama, the hometown of her second husband, Joel E. Johnson, Jr., where she was active in the Geneva Presbyterian Church, the Athenaeum Club, and the Artful Wonders after school art program. She loved reading and delighted in sharing that love with other educators as well as her students, becoming a driving force of the Bay County Reading Association and also a member of Delta Kappa Gamma teacher’s professional society.
Nellie and Joel were fortunate enough to travel widely, but her very favorite destination was her mountain cabin in North Georgia, where she spent many happy hours with family and friends.
Nellie was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Gene, and her husband Joel E. Johnson, Jr. She is survived by her daughter Leslie Laird Whited (John) and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Very special thanks to Melanie, Mary, and Catherine Walters for their lifelong love for Nellie, and to Shanice Rouse, Sam Rouse, Iman Davie, Lucretia Kennedy, and Janie Connor for the blessing of their care and companionship.
There will be a visitation at Wilson Funeral Home in Panama City, FL on Friday, August 1, 2025, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at Geneva Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow in the Geneva City Cemetery with Warren Holloway Ward Funeral Home of Geneva, AL directing. The family will receive friends at the church on Saturday beginning at 12:00 noon.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to
Bay County Public Library
Library Administration Office
P O Box 610
Panama City, FL 32402
Or
Emma Knox Kenan Public Library
P O Box 550
Geneva, AL 36340
Attn: Mishelle Hidle
Please include “in memory of Nellie L. Johnson” on the memo line of the check.
Warren~Holloway~Ward Funeral Home (334) 684-9999, is in charge of arrangements. “Continuing The Trust You’ve Placed In Us” To sign a guest register, please visit: www.whwfuneralhome.com
