Jo Ann Nelson

Jo Ann Steelman Nelson, known affectionately as “Sis” as a child and “Trouble” as an adult, passed away on February 26, 2024, in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, following a determined battle against COPD and MAC Lung Disease. Born on May 10, 1947, in Winston Salem, North Carolina, to Charles Dayton Steelman and Martha Elizabeth Slack Steelman, Jo Ann's life was guided by core beliefs that challenges only make you stronger and a stranger is just a friend that you haven’t met yet.

While Jo Ann dreamed of pursuing a career in entertainment, she ultimately studied business at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro after graduating from R.J. Reynolds High School. Upon completion of her business certificate, she embarked on a distinguished 39-year career at E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company in Charlotte, NC, Wilmington, DE and Richmond, VA, building a rich community of lifelong friends across the globe before retiring to one of her favorite places, North Myrtle Beach, SC.

Jo Ann was a Taurus and matched many of the distinctive personality traits to a tee: dependable, practical, loyal, hardworking, and stubborn. While Jo Ann thoroughly enjoyed her career and was committed to doing the best job she could for DuPont, that never came at the expense of doing the best job she could for her family. She was a remarkable daughter, mother, wife, sister and grandmother: loving, firm and committed. She was also a remarkable friend, as evidenced by how many of her relationships continued throughout her life. She was generous and sincere, and never too busy to offer a cup of coffee and a listening ear to someone going through a challenging time. She could not think of a major event in her life that God wasn’t by her side, and for that we know she is eternally grateful.

Preceded in death by her parents, her brother Steve Steelman (Helen Steelman), and her daughter Sandra Ann Eddy, Jo Ann's memory is cherished by her loving husband of 40 years, Art Nelson; her children, Kimberly Jo Eddy Sheller (Cliff Keevan), David Eddy, and Brad Nelson; her siblings, Jack Steelman (Jo Steelman), Nan Fogle, and Larry Steelman (Elizabeth Steelman); and her adored grandchildren, Joanna Sheller, Elizabeth Sheller, and David “Coleman” Eddy, Jr. Numerous nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives also survive her.

Jo Ann's life will be celebrated at a memorial service on Thursday, February 29, 2024 at Little River United Methodist Church (1629 Highway 17, Little River, SC 29566) at 2 pm. The memorial service can be live streamed at facebook.com/lrumc or youtube.com/@littleriverunitedmethodist993 Immediately following, all are invited to a reception in her honor at Tidewater Golf Club Grille (1400 Tidewater Drive, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582).

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to the American Lung Association or Mothers Against Addiction, causes close to Jo Ann's heart.