Lynn N. Timmons

Lynn Nichols Timmons of St. Leo, Florida, passed away peacefully at home on August 19th, 2026, after a battle with cancer. She was 83 years old (born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on September 19, 1942) and was the first born of Robert Ramsey Nichols and Charlotte Peebles Nichols.

Her early years were spent in Nesbit, PA with her parents, younger sister, Susan, brother Robert (Bob), and her deaf maternal grandmother. She was in second grade when her family relocated to Zephyrhills, Florida for better health conditions for her father who had severe arthritis. Lynn was joined by a second sister, Karen, while growing up in Zephyrhills.

Lynn was proud to be from Zephyrhills. While at Zephyrhills High School, she was in the band (played the trumpet) and was part of a singing group, The Harmonettes. She established many lifelong friendships and won the Miss Zephyrhills pageant in 1960 and Miss Zephyrhills Jaycee pageant in 1961.

Lynn attended the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa from 1960-1964 as a member of the charter class, receiving her B.A. in Education. While at USF, she met her husband, Edward (Ed) Timmons, and they married in 1965. They moved to Coral Gables, FL, where Lynn started her teaching career teaching third grade at David Fairchild Elementary as Ed completed his master’s at the University of Miami.

They moved in 1966 to Richmond, Virginia where she taught at Bon Aire Elementary and Ed taught at the University of Richmond. In 1967, they relocated to Parsippany, New Jersey for Ed’s work. It was there that Lynn gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Traci. From there, they moved to Winter Park, FL and subsequently to Maitland, FL a suburb of Orlando, and had two more daughters, Tricia and Holly.

In 1974, Ed’s job took the family to the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Georgia where they lived for the next seven years. Raising three girls, Lynn showed her creativity as a homemaker throwing themed birthday parties that included relay races, catching lightning bugs in a jar, and elaborate dress-ups; she made matching dresses for the girls for Easter and Christmas, Christmas stockings, and homemade ornaments. Lynn participated in several organizations, including leadership positions in the Girl Scouts, taught Sunday School at her church, and developed a circle of great lifelong friends in her neighborhood of Somerset.

While in Marietta, Lynn returned to school, getting her M. Ed. with an emphasis in Special Education (specialization in Deaf/Hard of Hearing) at Georgia State University in Atlanta. After graduating in 1981, Lynn and Ed moved back to Florida, settling back in her hometown of Zephyrhills, when Ed’s job moved him to Tampa. Lynn continued her teaching career, teaching deaf children as an itinerant teacher across Hillsborough County. In 1985, she was blessed to take a fourth-grade teaching job at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills where she would finish her K-12 teaching career in 2003, a career that had lasted almost 40 years.

Lynn excelled at teaching and received many awards along the way, including Teacher of the Year at Woodland and runner up for Pasco County Teacher of the Year. More importantly, she made deep connections with her students who stayed in contact with her for the rest of her life. Although she retired in 2003, her teaching career wasn’t quite over. She became an adjunct faculty member at Pasco-Hernando State College, teaching American Sign Language (ASL), for 3 years.

Lynn and Ed sold their Zephyrhills home of 20 years in 2002 and moved to Dade City. Ed joined her in retirement in 2005. In 2006, they purchased their first motorhome and joined NOMADS, a Methodist RV ministry where retirees travel across the United States serving churches, camps, and communities through construction, repairs, maintenance, and disaster rebuilding. They traveled the country many times in their beloved “moho” (AKA motorhome), visiting new parts of the country and places they wanted to revisit.

Lynn became a grandmother in 2004, eventually having five grandkids. Lynn and Ed traveled to the Pacific Northwest often to visit four of those grandkids, tacking on trips to Seattle whenever NOMADS projects took them to the region. She made it a point to attend every event for her Zephyrhills-based grandson.

Lynn loved her alma mater, USF. She was a mainstay at USF sporting events, even willing to travel for games, regardless of the team’s record or the sport. She especially loved the USF women’s basketball team and was a season ticket holder for many years. She supported USF in many ways, including establishing a scholarship that supports an education or math major who is a student athlete, and attributed much of her success to her time at the university, both as a student and as an alumnus.

In 2011, after 3 years of looking and negotiating, God blessed them with the “Lake House” on Lake Jovita. Lynn enjoyed over 10 years at the Lake House, spending much time on the back porch, watching sunrises/sunsets and the abundant wildlife. These were some of the best moments of her life, just enjoying the beauty of the Almighty’s creation.

Lynn spent much of her retirement volunteering, being philanthropic, being an ASL interpreter, and being active in her church (First United Methodist Church of Dade City). She was active in the Zephyrhills Chapter of PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization) International, serving on committees and as president; she held leadership positions in Pilot International and Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an honor society for women educators; she was a member of the Dade City Garden Club; she also volunteered at Advent Hospital in Dade City, and tutored children at Pasco Elementary School.

She enjoyed making things accessible to the deaf community. She received her ASL certification from USF and was an avid ASL interpreter for events in the area, which included interpreting for a presidential candidate who made a campaign stop during the 2016 election cycle.

In the last years of her life, she was very active at the Dade City First United Methodist Church: singing and signing in the “Praise Team,” being a substitute Sunday School teacher, serving on the Hospitality Committee, and more.

In June of 2025, she and Ed celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a trip of a lifetime to Italy and Ireland, topped off with an Alaskan cruise. In July 2025, she was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer. Lynn lived her best life as long as she could, culminating with a trip to Seattle in June 2026 to see her grandson graduate from high school.

She is survived by her loving husband of 61 years, Edward Timmons; daughters Traci Timmons, Tricia Timmons, and Holly Chadwell; grandchildren Lorelei Timmons-Herrin, Cole Whitehouse, Larry (Trey) Chadwell III, Gabriel Whitehouse, and Robin Timmons-Herrin; and sisters Susan Smith and Karen Sante (both née Nichols). She was preceded in death by her brother, Robert (Bob) Nichols II, and her parents.

Lynn spent her life being a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, a devoted teacher, a caring volunteer, and a devout Christian. She will be missed terribly by her family and all who knew her.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 11:00 am at the Dade City First United Methodist Church, 37628 Church Avenue, Dade City, FL 33525-4131. https://dcfumc.church

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to PEO at https://www.peointernational.org/make-a-%20gift/#donate

Please specify chapter: EU/FL Zephyrhills.