James Lindsey Nimmons Jr.

1933 - 2024

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it." 1 Corinthians 9:24

James Lindsey Nimmons, Jr., 91, of Conroe, Texas, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. He honored God's call upon his life, to serve and preach the gospel to the very end-even serving as nursing home chaplain the final week of his life.

"Lindsey" (also called Buddy) was born in Houston, Texas, on July 22, 1933, to James Lindsey Nimmons and Clara Mae Truett Nimmons. He attended grade school in Anderson and Pickens, S.C., attended Hogg Junior High and Reagan High School in the Houston Heights, then graduated from New Waverly High School in 1950.

During his freshman year, at Sam Houston State Teacher's College, in Huntsville, he surrendered to God's call to preach, and was licensed to the gospel ministry by New Waverly Baptist Church. He transferred to Baylor University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Bible and a minor in English, in 1954. While at Baylor, he accepted his first pastorate at First Baptist Church of Lyons, Texas, where he was ordained to the ministry.

He was called to plant churches in areas where they were scarce, and, while in college, spent summers planting churches in Northern Calif. After Baylor, he enrolled in Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, in Berkley, Calif., where he met Jacqueline Cliburn, who became his wife, in 1959. In 1957, he hitchhiked to New York City, to volunteer during the Billy Graham crusade at Madison Square Garden. He later joined the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's Worldwide Pictures, where he distributed Christian films in Calif. and beyond.

After seminary, he founded the First Baptist Church of Townsend, Mont., and pastored over a dozen churches in Calif., Texas, Ore., and even Canada. Lindsey also shared the gospel in the Philippines, India, Mexico, Israel, and beyond. He enjoyed camping, fishing, and loved to travel the world. Lindsey was a hard worker who knew no stranger; no service or sacrifice was too great. He always had love and a smile for anyone and everyone he met. He also loved the color red, and was well-known for his red bow tie.

He is survived by his son, Jim Nimmons (Silvia), and their six children, Noble (Johanna), Dayspring (Joshua) Reeves, Caleb, Elizabeth, Josiah, and Jedidiah Nimmons; daughter, Nancy Boyens; and daughter, Priscilla Doremus (Dan), and their children, Meredith and Dylan; two great-grandchildren; sister, Elizabeth Boughner, of Ridgeway, Colo.; brother-in-law, Alan Cliburn, of Van Nuys, Calif.; sister-in-law, Joanne Nimmons, of Snohomish, Wash.; and, sister-in-law, Barbara Nimmons, of Houston, Texas.

A funeral service for James will be held Monday, August 26, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at Mims Baptist Church, 1609 Porter Rd., Conroe, Texas 77301. Following the funeral service will be a graveside service, from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Dr., Houston, Texas 77038.